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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 



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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



ELEMENTS ofEXPRESSION 

VOCAL AND PHYSICAL 

BY 

REV. PHILIP 'Williams, o. s. b., 

AND 

YEN. PR. CELESTINE SULLIVAN, O. S. B., 

PROFESSORS OF ELOCUTION 
AT 

St. BENEDICT'S COLLEGE, ATCHISON. KANSAS. 



And they read in the book of the law of God 
distinctly and plainly to he understood; and they 
understood when it w^as read. — II. JEsdras, VIII., 8. 

SECOND REVISED EDITION. /<^^^ ^^VgJ^ 

OCT 6 ^B% I 






ABBEY STUDENT, '^'^^'A^A " ^^— 

'S COLLEGE, ATCHISON. KANSAS. * \ 



ST. BENEDICT'S COLLEGE, ATCHISON, KANSAS. 
1896. 






(Copyright, 1895, 
BY St. Benedict's College. 



TO 

THE STUDENTS 

Of St. Benedict's College, 

whose ardent interest in the noble science and art of 

expression has encouraged us in our labor, 

and" to ail students of Elocution, 

we respectfully dedicate 

this volume. 



PREFACE 

TO THE FIRST EDITION. 



Elocution is a science and an art. When the art 
absorbs the science, naturalness will be the result, for 
^ 'art at its highest and nature at its truest ar^ one." 

Some professors of this noble art, when asked what 
method they use, simply reply: ''We follow nature." 
If the question were put to us, our answer would be the 
same. We would, however, make our answer more def- 
inite by stating, that to follow nature, is not to follow 
individual whims and eccentricities, but to speak in a 
manner worthy of our subject and concordant to its 
sentiments. The venerable watch-word "Be Natural,'' 
thus resolves itself into "Speak Properly." 

Those that claim to be disciples of nature usually for- 
get the scientific part of elocution, and, hence, discard 
all rules. Their entire theory consists of two words: 
''Be natural.'' We also say, by all means, be natural: 
But if there are no rules to teach us lioio to be natural, 
how can we acquire this open sesame, to the grand dom- 
ains of expression? How can we determine the line 
where nature ceases, and affectation begins? If there 
are no rules govern ino^ delivery, we can neither praise a 
speaker for the highest merits, nor censure him for the 
grossest defects. Happily, we have rules, which far 
from making us unnatural, ofuide us back to nature's 
paths from which we have deviated. 



VI PREFACE. 

"Those rules of old discover'd not devised 
Are Nature still, but Nature methodized : 
Unerring nature, still divinely bright, 
One clear, unchanged, and universal light. 
Life, force, and beauty, must to all impart 
At once the source, the end, and test of art ; 
Art from that fund each just supply provides, 
Works without show and without pomp presides." 

To state anew "those rules of old," in a comprehen- 
sive form, for the benefit of college students, is the ob- 
ject of the present volume. The principles laid down 
do not claim novelty as a recommendation. Like all 
principles, they derive their value not from their old- 
ness or newness, but from their truth. They have stood 
the test of ages, and been the faithful guides of many 
eloquent speakers. 

There are several text-books of elocution deservinof 
high commendation, but they are only adapted to spe- 
cial schools of Elocution and Oratory, where hours each 
day may be devoted to the subject. They are also ill- 
suited to the intellectual powers of beginners as they 
df'al from the start in technicalities, philosophical anal- 
yses, etc 

It has been our object throughout to retain only es- 
sential theory, and even to condense that, to avoid tech. 
nical terms as far as may be, and to give copious choice 
examples. 

All literature, we are justly told, 

"Should to one of these four ends conduce: 
For wisdom, piety, delight, or use." 

Each of the four have many select representatives 
throughout the volume. Most of our examples appear 
for the first time in an elocution book. They have been 
chosen largely from Catholic sources. We do not wisti. 



n 



PREFACE. YII 

thereby, to depreciate any of the noble names of litera- 
ture, or rob them of deserved prominence. We only 
wish to remove writers, of merit from cobwebbed 
shelves, where their beauties have too long been ob- 
scured by dust and silence. It is hoped that the tidbits 
ofiven, while they delight the mind with their beauty 
and elevate and refresh it with wholesome truths, will 
also excite a craving for more. Hence, we have given, 
the names of works and authors. Only selections rec- 
ommended by intrinsic worth should be memorized. 
Students should be required to seek additional examples 
from other sources. Turning the leaves of our popular 
readers at random the}^ will be greeted by apt selections 
from Milton, Sir Walter Scott, Thackeray, Bulwer Lyt- 
ton, Dickens, Ruskin, Longfellow, Macaulay,Tennys()n, 
Webster, Clay, Burke, etc. 

The arrangement of subjects in an elocution book is 
always attended with difficulties. As regards logical 
order, it resembles the alphabet. If G were placed be- 
fore B, and Y besore G, the alphabet would not suffer. 
Before we can read well we must know ail the letters, 
for Z sometimes precedes his extreme brother A, and 
O not seldom introduces the egotist, I. It is the same 
in elocution. Vocal elements that are treated last may 
enter a given selection earlier, and characterize it more 
than some treated in the fore-part of the book. Until 
they are all mastered, we cannot read well. If the ar- 
rangement we have given does not accord with any pro- 
fessor's views, it will be an easy task to change the or- 
der and take any section or chapter that expedience ad- 
vises or circumstances require. As it stands, we suggest 
the following order: 

I. Class, Breathing, Action, Articulation, and the sim- 
pler Gestures. 



VIII PKEFACE . 

11. Class, Gesture, Force, and Delsarte's Laws of 

Gesture . 
Hi. Class, Pitch, Inflexion, Quality, and Planes of 

Gesture. 

IV. Class, Emphasis, Gestures of Different Members, 

and Pause. 

V. Class, The remainder of the book. 

With all of these review, review, review. 

Concert drills are recommended for economizing time 
and labor. In this way each student will receive some 
practice every class hour. It is only by practice skill 
may be acquired. A student may be able to tell you 
very accurately hoio a certain selection should be spoken 
and tvhy it should be so rendered, but this will avail 
him but little as an orator, if he does not, by diligent 
practice, attain the power of doing it gracefully. 

One selection mastered thoroughly is better than 
number, ess ones imperfectly studievi. 

Class criticism may be employed to produce worthy 
emulation. It makes speaker and hearer vigilant. 

The book does not claim to be exhaustive or perfect. 

"Whoever thinks a faultless piece to see, 
Thinks what ne'er was, nor is, nor e'er shall be." 

Hence, kindly criticism, for the improvement of future 
edilions, will be gratefully received. 

We acknowledge 'indebtedness to Maurice Francis 
Egaii, LL. D., Kev. Alfred Young C. S.P., Eleanor 
C. Donne ly, and others for the generous permission 
granted us to quote from their writings. 

If the principles herein laid down further the pow- 
er of huTnan speech, kindle the fires of eloquence slum- 
bering in many a youthful bosom, give to College grad- 



PKEFACE. IX 

nates a trusty vehicle to convey truth and a strong- 
weapon to defend right, the irresistible weapon — grace- 
ful delivery — the fondest hopes of the authors will be 
realized , 

THE AUTHORS. 
September 14, 1895. 



PREFACE 

TO THE SECOND EDITION. 

I 

We have aimed to make the second edition more wor- 
thy of the kind commendation which the first appearance 
of the work elicited Through the kindness of Father 
Butler, Louise Imogen Guiney, Ina Coolbrith, Richard 
M. Johnston, and others, we have been able to enhance 
our examples and selections with valuable copyright 
matter. In other respects, this edition closely resem- 
bles its predecessor. 



CONTENTS. 



Preface 


^ ^ w 




y 


Index . 


. 




355 


Index to Selections . 




. 359 


Chapter I.- 


-Breathing. 






I. 


What is* Breathing . , 




1 


II. 


Proper method 




2 


III. 


Breathing Exercises 




3 


Chapter II. 


— Action. 






I. 


Definition of Action 




1(1 


II. 


Position 




. 13 


III. 


Attitude 




13 


Chapter II] 


. — Articulation. 




f 


I. 


Elementary Sounds 




29 


II. 


Consonant Elements 




30 


III. 


Exemplification of Yoav 


el- Quality . 


31 


ly. 


Difficult Combinations 




51 


Chapter IY 


. — Gesture. 






I. 


Delsarte's Definition 


. 


HI 


II. 


Relaxation 


. 


62 


III. 


Exercises in Kelaxatioi 


. 


m 


Chapter V. 


— Force. 






.1. 


Forms of Force 


. 


HT 


II. 


Degrees of Force 




. 73 


III. 


Application of Force 


, 


SO 


Chapter YI 


. — Delsarte's Laws or 


Gesture. 




I. 


Exphmation of Laws 




85 



XII 



CONTENTS 



Chapter VII. — Pitch. 

I. Division of Pitch 

II. Uses of Each Division 
Chapter VIII. — Inflexion. 

I. Kinds of Inflexion 

II. Rules for Rising Inflexion 

III. Rules for Falling Inflexion 

IV. Rules for Circumflex Inflexion 
Chapter IX. — Quality. 

I. Kinds of Quality 
II. Pure Tone 

III. The Orotund . 

IV. The Aspirate . 
V. The Guttural . 

VI. The Pectoral . 
VII. The Falsetto . 
VIII. The Nasal 
Chapter X. — Planes of Gesture 
I. Scale of Notation . 
II. Significance of Various Planes 
III. General Examples. 
Chapter XL — Emphasis. 



I. Difi'erence between Emphasis 
Accent 

II. Rules underlying Emphasis 

III. Modes of Emphasis 

IV. Observations 

V. Unemphatic Words 

VI. Climax 



Chapter XII. — Gesture of Different Members. 



I. The Head 
11. Nine Attitudes of the Eye 
III. The Mouth 



md 



90 
91 

100 
101 
102 
103 

114 
115 
121 
126 
128 
131 
133 
135 

149 
142 
153 



172 
175 

180 
186 
190 
191 



195 
198 

200 




COiSTTENTS . 



XIII 



Chaptek XIII. — Pause. 

1, Influence of the Pause 
II. Length of the Pause 
III. Rules for Pausing . 
Chapter XIV.— Poetic Reading. 
I. Various Feet . 
11. Poetic Pauses . 
Chapter XV. — Personiation. 

I. Importance of Personation 
II. Rules for Personation 
Chapter XVI. — Tone Color. 

I. What it Embraces . 
II. What it is Due to 
HI. Its Necessity . . . 
Selections ...... 



205 
206 

208 

220 
223 

230 
230 

238 
239 
2i2 
249 



CHAPTER 1. 



BREATHING. 

Although it may seem strano-e, nay, unnatural, that 
Breathing — that which anyone practices uninterrupted- 
ly — that which was the beginning of life, and is its 
continuity, — must be studied; still, there are certain 
canons which govern respiration for vocal ends, the 
observance of which is not arbitrary. 

The unstudied breathing by which life is sustained is 
insufficient for vocalization. Voice is the result of an 
air-shock on the v^ocal ligaments. The amount of air 
that we unconsciously inhale for the support of life, 
answers admirably its specitic purpose, but is inade- 
quate for speaking. 

Manifestly, therefore, if we desire to use our voice^ 
we must learn to breathe more copiously. 

Breathing consists of Inspiration and Expiration. 
Both are arts; both must be acquired. 

A speaker who has not learnt to inhale correctly will 
never possess a 7-?c72, substantial voice. One that has 
mastered inhalation but neglects expiration, Vvill soon 
find his 'brecitli-expenditure greater than his receipts, and 
will early end his career as a speaker with a ruined, 
bankrupt voice. We must have an income^ or the 
outcome will be — inevitable failure. 



2 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

We can never afford to run out of breath when we 
are speaking, for then, silence will ensue, painful alike 
to speaker and hearer. Among- the various methods of 
])reathing the one recommended most by good results is 
this : ' 'First, feel that the diaphragm-region — the 
waist — expands. This expansion is caused by the down- 
ward contraction of the diaphragm. Secondly, at the 
same time feel an incipient expansion of the whole 
trunk-region, from the lowest point of the abdomen to 
the highest point of the Chest and Collar-bone. This 
Expansion is felt in the entire circumference of the 
trunk, as a complete oneness of action, not in sections 
or broken. Thirdly, whether the amount of breath ta- 
ken be great or small, whether a half or a full expan- 
sion be required, it must always be done with the com- 
bined breathing-apparatus and with oneness of action. 
The difference between half and full, long and short 
breaths, is not in method, but in time and the amount 
of expansion. This is the only correct, natural, 
healthy way of breathing, for by this method the 
whole of the lungs is used and ventilated and thus kept 
healthy." — Leo Kojler. 

It is obvious, from the above, that diaphragmatic, 
or abdominal breathing, is the proper method. The di- 
aphragm must control the breath, otherwise the un- 
reined air will rush to the throat, and, in its hurry to 
gain freedom, will make the tones '"breathy," or if the 
throat endeavors to control the efflux of the air, the ef- 
fort will necessarily stiffen the muscles of the throat, 
and "throaty" tones will be the result. Each one may 
experience this by trying the following exercise. 

Take a few heavy inspirations as you would when 
nearly spent with running: note the effect on the dia- 
phragm. You will observe it pulsates; now, if, while 



BREATHING. 6 

taking one of the rapid gulps of air, you stop quickly, 
you will feel the diaphragm grasp the air to check its 
exit. Never allow the throat to share this office with 
the diaphragm — for the diaphragm has been assigned 
the office by nature, and nature never permits an infrac- 
tion of her laws to go unpunished . 

Unless the breath is under perfect control, pure tone 
is an impossibility; for in its production all the air that 
is liberated must be converted into sound. 

The nose, unless obstructed, is the medium of inspi- 
ration. Avoid the pernicious inversion, of which too 
many are guilty, of using the nostrils as channels to 
convey your sentiments to long-suffering audiences, and 
the mouth to convey air and dust to short-enduring or- 
gans. An All-wise Providence has arranged the nose 
so that it warms and ''ti Iters" the air before it reaches 
the more delicate organs. Whereas the mouth, not 
being intended for inspiration, carries the cold air di- 
rectly to the delicate membrane, thereby causing hoarse- 
ness, and eventually serious throat and lung-ailments. 

Inspiration and Pausing in speaking go hand in hand; 
neither should be indulged where they interfere with 
the sense of the phrase. Nevertheless, never make any 
effort to sustain a tone, or complete a sentence, when 
the air in the lungs is well-nigh exhausted. Always 
stop at the approach of fatigue. 

Let the student practice the following Exercises with 
due moderation; as enthusiastic disciples, by violent 
practice, might overtax the respiratory muscles and (\o 
themselves irreparable injuries. 

Exercise I. 

Stand erect, shoulders back and down — in which po- 
sition they should remain during the whole exercise — 



4 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL . 

fill the lungs comfortably by very short inhalations and 
then quickly empty them in one blast. 

Exercise II. 

Fill the lungs with one energetic draught, then emit 
the air in jets. 

Exercise III. 

Inhale and utter a and a, alternately. Employ half 
the breath on a , the other half on a . Pronounce a 
high and forcible, a low and subdued. 

Exercise IV. 

Inhale deeply, prepare the lips as you would say 
''who," then exhaust the lungs with puffs. 

Exercise V. 

Place thumbs on costal, fingers on abdominal mus- 
cles, bending profoundly forward empty the lungs; in 
assuming erect position, inhale vigorously, retain the 
air-supply a few moments, then expel it vocally, with 
abdominal impulses, in form of uh, uh, iih. 

Exercise VI. 

Repeat directions of the preceding number and use 
the air in alternating uh, ah, in aspirate and pure 
tones. 

Exercise VII. 
Assume an erect attitude, heels together, toes turned 



BREATHING. O 

outward from 45 to 90 degrees apart. This is the "mil- 
itary position." With hands lightly pressed on the 
chest, fill the lano^s gently and emit the air in a lustrous 
prolongation of the syllable sil. 

Exercise. VIIL 

Take preceding position, inspire energetically, run 
the speaking gamut upward, employing the word^up," 
increasing gradatim the tone's intensit}^ 

Exercise IX. 

Vary the preceding exercise by running the speaking 
gamut downward, using the word ''down," gradually 
decreasing the force. 

Exercise X. 

Repeat No. VIII., accompanying the raise for each 
tone with a corresponding movement .of each arm and 
wrist, so that, when the rounding note of the octave is 
reached, the arms be extended upward to their utmost. 

Exercise XL 

Leaving the arms extended as No. X. required, re- 
peat No. IX., and, with each descension in tone, lower 
the arms with a gentle wave of the wrist, so that, on 
the concluding "down," the arms reach the sides. 

Exercise XIL 

Take position as indicated in No. VII. , inspire deep- 
ly, tap the chest gently with the finger-tips in order to 



6 elj:ments of expression, vocal and physical. 

drive the air into all the lung-cells, then, let the air 
escape in a sound showing weariness, as a-iih. 

Exercise XIII. 

Observe the preliminaries of No. V. ; when the lungs 
are well inflated, expend the air with explosive force on 
the sentence, 

"Arise, ye more than dead I" — Dryden. 
or, "Else, O Sun of Justice, rise!"— jRev. James Kent Stone. 

Exercise XIV. 

Comply with the injunctions of No. VII. ; when the 
lungs are well expanded, summon your brightest smile 
and laugh out the vowels i, e, e, a, a, o, o, o, ii, 
u, u, in a low tone; occasionally introduce an open 
vowel. 

This exercise is characteristically adapted to 
strengthen the throat, invigorate and make more elastic 
the vocal ligaments, deepen and mellow the voice. 

Exercise XV. 

Inflate the lungs fully, utter o, a, ou, in a soft, pure 
tone; c^ontinue until the air supply is nearly consumed, 
then prolong the sound of o, gradually merging it into 
ob, and diminishing the force as the air-supply lessens, 
until, with the last thin current, sound weds itself to 
silence. 

(A breathing exercise should introduce every elocution hour.) 



BREATHING. 7 

Examples loliere copious BreatJiing is required. 

"Oh, perverse children of men, who refuse truth when of- 
fered you, because it is not truer ! Oh, restless hearts and 
fastidious intellects, who seek a gospel more salutary than 
the Redeemer's, and a creation more perfect than the Crea- 
tor's! God, forsooth, is not great enough for you; you have 
those high aspirations and those philosophical notions, in- 
spired by the original Tempter, which are content with noth- 
ing that is, which determine that the Most High is too lit- 
tle for your worship, and His attributes too narrow for your 
love. Satan fell by pride : and what was said of old as if of 
him, may surely now, by way of warning, be applied to all 
who copy him: 'Because thy heart is lifted up, and thou hast 

said, I am Grod, and I sit in the chair of God, whereas 

thou art a man and not God, and hast set thy heart as if it 

were the heart of^God, therefore ; . . .1 will bring thee to 

nothing, and thou shalt nofc be, and if thou be sought for, 
thou Shalt not be found any more forever.' " — Neiuman. 



"Ah! why then wake my i^rrow, and bid me now count o'er 
The vanished friends so dearly prized— the days to come no 

more^ 
The happy days of infancy, when no guile our bosoms knew, 
Kor reck'd we of the pleasures that with each moment flew? 
'Tis all in vain to weep for them — tlie past a dream appears: 
And wliere are they— the loved, the young, the friends of boy- 
hood's j^ears?" 

Eev. Charles Meehan. 

"St. Paul was a vessel of election to bear the good odor of 
Christ into the palaces of kings ! A torrent of eloquence 
flowing into the barren fields of a vain philosophy, to fertilize 
and adorn! A rich exhibition of virtue, winning by its beau- 
ty, attracting by its symmetry, and exciting to activity by 
emulation! A glowing meteor of benediction, dissipating 
the clouds, and warming the hearts of the beholders to chari- 
ty on earth, that they might be fitted for glory in heaven!" 

Bishop England. 



8 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL 
From The Storm. 

"Land! land!" they cry, "behold it stretclies clear: 
Unwrapp'd at once the sea, and shore, and sky; 
O'er the red waves of sunset it seems near. 
A harbor's mouth Itself we can descry; 



The liquid mountains urge us toward the shore. 
Their sweep, you'd think, must needs us overwhelm; 
Let us but steer her, danger is no more: 
Let all hands help to bind and keep the helm. 



There! now she plunges to ride higher still; 
Another mountain lifts us to the pier. 
Will ^he bear up to pass it? Yes. she will! 
Lift up your hearts, my lads, no more of fear." 

Kenelm H. Dighy. 

From Tlie Collegians. 

In the meantime tiardress, full of horror at the supposed 
catastrophe, had hurried to his sleeping room, where he flung 
himself upon the bed, and sought, but found not relief in 
exclamations of terror, and of agony. "What!" he muttered 
through his clenched teeth, "shall my hands be always 
bloody? Can I not move bufc death must dog my steps? Must 
I only breathe to suffer and destroy?" 

A low and broken moan, uttered near his bed-side, made 
him start with a superstitious apprehension. He looked 
round and beheld his mother kneeling at a chair, her face 
pale, excepting the eyes, which were inflamed with tears. 
Iler hands were wreathed together, as if with a straining 
exertion, and sobs came thick and fast upon her breath, in 
spite of all efforts her fco restrain them. In a few minutes, 
while he remained gazing on her in some perplexity, she 
arose, and, standing by his bed-side, laid her hand quietly 
upon his head. 



BREATHINa. 

"I have been trying to pray," she said, '-but I fear in vain. 
It was a selfish prayer— it was offered up for you. If you fear 
deatli and shame, you will soon have cause to tremble. For 
a mother who loves her son, guilty as he is, and for a son who 
would not see his parents brought to infamy, mere have been 
fearful tidings here since morning. — Gerald Griffin. 



From An End. 

Love, strong as Death, is dcr.d. 

Come, let us make his bed 

Among the dying flowers: 

A green turf at his head ; 

And a stone at his feet. 

Whereon we may sit 

In the quiet evening hours. 

He was born in the Spring, 

And died before the harvesting: 

On the last warm summer day 

He left us; he would not stay 

For autumn twilight, cold and gray. 

Sit we by his grave, and sing 

He is gone away. 

To few chords and sad and low 
Sing we so. 

Be our eyes fixed on the grass 
Shadow — veiled as the years pass, 
While we think of all that was 
In the long ago. 

a G. Bosseih 



10 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND THYSICAL. 



CHAPTER II. 



ACTION. 

By Actioa we understand that part of Elocution which 
speaks to the eye. 

Cicero, perhaps the greatest orator that ever lived, 
says on this subject: ''It is of h'ttle consequence that 
you prepare what is to be spoken, unless you are able 
to deliver your speech with freedom and grace. Nor is 
even that sufficient, unless what is spoken be deliv- 
ered by the voice, by the countenance, and by the gest- 
ure in such a manner as to give it a liigher relish." 
Andagiin: ''It is hardly possible to express of how 
great con-Ncquence is the manner in which the orntor 
avails himself of tones of voice, gesture, and the expres- 
sion of the countenance. For even indijfferent speak- 
ers, by the dignity of their action^ have frequeiitiy 
reaped the fruits of eloquence; whilst those whose lan- 
guage is that of an orator, often on account of the 
awkwardness of their action, have been reckoned indif- 
ferent speakers." 

QuiNTiLiAN sa3^s: "If delivery can produce such an 
effect as to excite anofer, tears, and solicitude m sub- 
jects we know to iie lictitious and vain, how nnich more 
powei-ful nnist it be when we are persuaded in re^ilit}^? 
Nay, I venture to pronounce that even an indifferent 
oration, recommended by the force of action^ would 



ACTION. 11 

l:ave more effect than the best, if destitute of this en- 
forcement. " St. Fkancis of Sales, who by his preaeh- 
ino- of the word of God drew tens of thousands into 
the true fold of Christ, gives studied delivery a very de- 
cided commendation when he says, "that the most 
eloquent composition, badly delivered, will produce little 
ornoeli'ecl; whilst a very mediocre speech, eloquently 
delivered^ will often be attended with the most striking 
results.'' And this is only naliiral, for good delivery 
m:)kes the impression deeper and more lasting. 

Man}^ lal)or under the false idea, that the orator is 
born, not made. They proclaim against all attempts at 
acquiring oratory. They say it makes one artificial; 
and still there is not a single orator af any renown who 
was not aided by art. The greatest orators of ancient 
t'mes w^A-e Cicero and Demosthenes. Both of these 
were assiduous in the study of the jninutest details of 
tie art. Demosthenes was not gifted by nature. The 
pre-ominence he acquired in a nation of orators was the 
work of yeais of close application. His practice and 
belief agreed with Cicero's, — that to be an orator 
something more was needed than to be born. With 
regard to the idea that the study of Elocution tends to 
create an unnatural mode of delivery, we hold that it is 
only true where the art is imperfectly acquired. It is 
the same in all the arts. The man who has taken 
but a few lessons in painting, will not be true to 
nature in his pictures. No one co)idemns the pictorial 
art on this account. It is just as inane to condenm 
elocution on a judgment formed from hearing one 
who is yet in the primer of Elocution. The real art of 
elocutioji lies in concealing art. Following u}) a line 
of argument based on the assertions of some. Demos- 



12 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

THENES should have been the worst of orators, sin'^c 
he pursued this study farther than any other ancicut 
or modern speaker. 

Amongst modern orators, we may point with nation- 
al pride to Henry Clay, the prince of American speak- 
ers. He early began to prepare for the success he 
afterwards attained. He acknowledges the pains he 
took to acquire oratory. ''1 owe my success in life," 
he says, ''to one single fact, namely, that at an early 
age I commenced and continued for some j^ears, the- 
practice of daily reading and speaking the contents of 

some historical or scientific book It is to this early 

jjractice of the art of all ari^s that 1 am indebted for 
the primary and leading impulses that stimulated my 
progress, and have shaped and moulded my whole 
destiny." In short, no man who has attained even pass- 
ing renown as an orator, will admit that the study of 
action is not a positive necessity for success in oratory. 

These remarks are inserted here, as the hue and cry 
of ignorance has arisen against this part of the study 
of oratory in particular. Let the student of oratory 
heed rather the words of Shakespeare than those of men 
whose delight is to carp: 

"Pleads he in earnest! Look upon his face, 

His eyes do drop no tears; his prayers are jest; 

His words come from his mouth, ours from our breast ; 

He prays but faintly and would be denied ; 

We pray with heart and soul." 

We will treat this division of Elocution under the fol- 
lowing heads, — Position, Relaxation, Delsarte's Laws, 
and Planes of Gesture. To these we subjoin a few re- 
marks on the limits of Personation. 



POSITION. 

The study of Position is tiie first point we cal] 'Hen- 
tu)n to, as it is the first point which catches the eye when 
a speaker appears. Is he anoraccjlil in his Ijearino;'^ If 
so. he has implanted in the minds of the audience a 
point against him at the very start. The old sa3^ing has 
it, "iirst impressions are generally lasting." It holds 
good here as well as anywhere — hence, the importance 
of this subject. 

In laying down rules for Position, elocutionists have 
in view two points— the correct and expressive balance, 
or poise of the body, and a becoming appearance. 

There arc Three Positions. We shall call them the 
Unexcited, the Excited, and the Military, Each of the^-^ 
forms the basis of one (n- more attituces. Vj Allilude 
is meant the enlargement of a Position. In the Unexcited 
Position, the speaker stands erect in an eas3% digniticd 
manner, with the hands banging naturally at the sides, 
and the feet nearly together. The weight of the body 
should be principally on the ball of the left foot, and 
the right should be three or four inches in advance. 
The left limb is straight; the right, slightly bent at the 
knee. As a change and rest, reverse the positic.n, 
throwing the weight on the right and placing the left in 
advance. 

It is used in all unexcited speech, such as narration 
and the portrayal of the gentler emotions. In the fol- 
lowing examples the unexcited position isen.plo}(d. 

From Education and the Higher Life, 

:N"ature is neither sad nor joyful. We but see in her the 
reflection of our own minds. Gay scenes depress the molan- 



14 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. ' 

choly, and gloomy prospects have not the power to rob the 
happy of their contentment. The spring may fill us with 
fresh and fragrant thoughts, or may but remind us of all the 
hopes and joys we have lost; and autumn will speak to one 
of decay and death, to another of sleep and rest, after toil, 
tx) prepare for a new and brighter awakening. All the glory 
of dawn and suns ,t is but etheric weaves thrilling the vapory 
air and impinging on the optic nerve: but behind it all is the 
magician who sees and knows, who thinks and loves. "It is 
the mind that makes the body rich." If we could live in the 
company of those who are dear, the source of our happiness 
would still be our own thought and love; and if they are 
great and noble, we cannot be miserable however meanly 
surrounded. What is reality but a state of soul, finite in man, 
Infinite in God? Theory underlies fact, and to the divine 
mind all things are godlike and beautiful. — J. L. Ljalding. 



From As You Like It. Act 11. 

Duke 8. Now, my co-mates and brothers in exile. 
Hath not old custom made this life more sweet 
Than that of painted pomp? Are not these woods 
More free from peril than the envious Court? 
Here feel we not the penalty of Adam, 
The seasons' difference, and tlie icy fang 
And churlish chiding of the Winter's wind, — 
Which, when it bites and blows upon my body, 
Even till I shrink with cold, I smile, and say. 
This is no flattery, — these are councillors 
That feelingly persuade me what I am. 
Sweet are the uses of adversity; 
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous. 
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head : 
And this our life, exempt from public liaunt. 
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, 
Cermons in stones, and good in every thing: 
I would not change it. 

Shakespeare. 



rOSITION. 1^ 

From Words. 

I have known a word more gentio 
Than the breath of summer air; 
In a listening heart it nestled. 
And it lived forever there. 
T^ot the beating of its prison 
Stirred it ever, night or day, 
Only with the heart's last throbbing 
Could it fade away. 

Words are mighty, words are living; 
Serpents with their venomous stings. 
Or bright angels crowding round us, 
With heaven's light upon their wings: 
Every word has its own spirit. 
True or fake, that never dies: 
Every word man's lips have utterc J 
Echoes in God's skies. 

Adelaide A. Procter. 

The First Attitude is only the eiilaro:ement of the 
first position. The feet should be separated some di-«- 
tauce, thus givin;^ a firmer basis. A rest and chanoe 
from this attitude is made by advancing- the left foot 
and throwing the weight of the body on the right. 
The first attitude is used while giving utterance to 
grandeur, heroism, and strong oratorical tliouglit. As 
an example on which to practice, an excerpt from the 
speech of Hon. J. R. Chandler on the Know Nothing 
Movement is here inserted. 

••If, Mr. Chairman. I had not long been a member of this 
House, I might startle at the risk of presenting myself as the 
professor of a creed evil spoken of. But I know the House is 
composed of gentlemen. I stand here alone in defence of 
my faith, but I stand in the Congress of the nation. I 
stand for truth and mv soul is undaunted." 



10 elemt<:nts of expression, vocal and thtsicai.. 

In the Second Position, the Excited, the left foot is 
advanced and most of the weight is thrown on the ball. 
The right heel is entirely off the floor, and the ball of 
the right foot, touching the floor, balances the body. 
The left leg is slightly hei^t at tht; knee. A rest is 
taken by reversing the [)o.sition, bringing the right foot 
to the front, etc. The body is inclined forward as if 
about to take a step. The Excited Position is assumed 
in any speech impi3'ing earnest apjjeal and solicitude, 
and, also, as "Practical Elocution'' says: ''When the 
speaker is impelled by some emotion which causes him 
to step forward towards his audience, as if to get nearer 
to them that he may inipart, with more power and 
emotion, that which he utters." 

Examples. 

From Romeo and Juliet. Act II. 

But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? 
It is the east, and Juliet Is the sun. 

From Leonore. 

But seel what throng, with song and gong 
Moves by, as croaks the raven hoarse! 
Hark! funeral song! Hark! knelling dong! 
They sing, "Let's here Inter the corpse!" 
And nearer draws that mourning throng, 
And bearing hearse and bier along, 
With hollow hymn outgurgled like 
Low reptile groanings from a dyke. 

"Entomb your dead when midnight wanes, 
With knell, and bell, and funeral wail! 
T^ow homeward to her dim domains 
1 hear my bride— so, comrades, hail!" 

J. C. Mangan-. 



POSITION. 17 

From The Ghost's Petition. 



"There's a footstep coming; look out and see."- 
"The leaves are falling, the -wind is calling; 
]S"o one Cometh across the lea." — 



••There's a footstep coming: O sister look."— 
''The ripple flashes, the white foam dashes; 
^0 one Cometh across the brook." 

C. G. Bossetti. 



From The White Sail. 



A wraith of smoke, fast-driven against a flame 
Yon by the crimsoning east the dark ship moved, 
Her herald noises strangely borne ashore: 
'Joy. joy!" and interlinked: 'O joy, O joy, 
Athens our mother! joy to all thy gates!' 
And thunderous Arm acclaim of minstrelsy, 
Laughter, and antheming, and salvos wild 
Outran the racing prow. 

L. I. Gmneif- 



Tlie Second Attitude differs from the second ijosition in 
extension and also in the position of the feet. The left 
is extende<l as in the second position, but the rio-ht does 
not balance on the bail. Jt is p hinted lirnily on the 
floor. The whole l)0(ly leans forward as in the Excited 
position, and the muscles are rigid, forming straight 
lines and angles rather than carves. This attitude may 
also be reversed. It is correctly used in defiant threat- 
ening and very emphatic thought. 



18 ELEMENTS OF EXPKESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Examples. 
From The Merchant of Venice. Act III. 



Salarino. Why I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not take 
his flesh: what's that good for? 

Shylock. {Emphatic.) To bait fish withal; if it will feed 
nothing- else, it will feed my revenge. The villainy you teach 
me, I will execute; and it shallt go hard, but I will better 
the instruction. — ShaJcespeare. 



From The Collegians, 



"Talk not to me, sir," she said, "of your regret or your re- 
luctance. You have already done your worst to fix a stigma 
on our name and a torture in our memories. For months, for 
weeks, and days, my son spoke with you, laughed with you, 
and walked freely and openly among you, and then you laid no 
hand upon his shoulder. You waited for his wedding-day 
to raise your lying cry of murder; you waited to see how many 
hearts you might crush together at a blow. You have done 
the worst of evil in your power; you have dismayed our 
guests, scattered terror amid our festival, and made the re- 
membrance of this night, which should have been a happy 
one, a thought of gloom and shame." 

"My duty," murmured the magistrate, "obliged me to 
sacrifice—" 

"Complete your duty, then, "said the mother haughtily, 
and do not speak of yoiir personal regrets. If justice and 
ray son are/oe.s", what place do .yow fill between them? You 
mistake your calling, Mr. Magistrate; you have no personal 
feelings in this transaction. You are a servant of the law, 
and, as a servant, act."— GremZcZ Griffin. 



POSITION. 19 

From The Hidden Gem. Act II. 

Proculus. Bah! 

You came to act a part and well have acted ! 
The sleek sraooth-faced palmer, unrepining 
At a snug berth. Some patience is good pay 
For five years' shelter, clothing, food and alms. 
"Where is the beggar that can't bear a taunt, 
Aye, or a blow, for one coin? But five years' 
Living upon the sweat of others' brows, 
Must be a beggar's paradise! 

Eusebius. Shame! shame! 

Proc. Aye, shame enough! that a young sturdy 
vagrant 
Should eat the bread of honest, toiling folk. 
Shame, that he should be sitting all day. 
As if at home, within another's house 
Instead of putting out his strength to interest. 
And drawing food from his strong, sinewy arm. 
Can I who bear the burden of this house, 
With patience see a lazy parasite 
Feed on its fatness? suck its very blood?— 
INow, hear my answer: under just reproach, 
Scorn well deserved, blows well merited. 
You may have wisely bent— not low enough 
By one good fathom, for my deep disdain. 

Cardinal Wiseman. 

From Macbeth. Act V. 

Macduff. Tyrant, show thy face! 

If thou liest slain and with no stroke of mine. 
My wife and children's ghosts will haunt me still. 
I cannot strike at wretched kerns, whose arms 
Are hired to bear their staves : either thou, Macbeth, 
Or else my sword, with an unbatter'd edge, 
I sheathe again undeeded. There thou shoaldst bs; 
By this clatter, one of greatest note 
Seems bruited. Let me find him, fortune! 
And more I beg not. Shal-esr)eare. 



20 ELEMENTS OF EXPKESSION, VOCAL AKD PHYSICAL. 

The Third Attitude is based on the Excited position 
likewise. The weight is thrown on the left foot. The 
right leg is straight; the left, bent at the knee. The 
right foot is forward and separated from the left by a 
space of about twice the length of the foot. The body 
inclines backward. This attitude is generally used in 
dramatic oratory where horror or extreme terror are to 
be expressed. 

Examples. 

From Julius Caesar, Act IV. 

Brutus. How ill this taper burns. Ha! who comes here? 
I think it is the weakness of my eyes 
That shapes this monstrous apparition. 
It comes upon me,— Art thou anything? 
Art thou some God, some angel, or some devil, 
That mak'st my blood cold, and my hair to stare? 

Shakespeare. 

From The Spectre Caravan, 

"Twas at midnight, in the desert, where we rested on the 

ground: 
There my Bedouins were sleeping, and their steeds were 

stretched around ; 
In the farness lay the moonlight on the mountains of the 

Nile, 
And the camel bones that strewed the sand for many an 

arid mile. 
When, behold !— a sudden sandquake— and atween the earth 

and moon 
Rose a mighty host of shadows as from out some dim lagoon: 
Then our coursers gasped with terror, and a thrill shook 

every man, 
And the cry was, "Allah Akbar! 'tis the Spectre Caravan!" 

/. C. Mangan. 



POSITION. 21 

In the Third Position which we call the Military, 
the heels are together or nearly so. We can describe it 
best by saying it is the Soldier's Position. The weight 
of the body is about equally divided on each foot The 
elocutionist linds most use for this position in personat- 
ing characters, and in practicing breathing exercises, 
etc. Sometimes it is used as the position of respect. 
When Proculus enters in the first act of the Hidden 
Gem, iie assumes this position and says/'l am at your 
bidding." 

Examples. 
From Timon of Athens. Act I. 

Servant. Please you, my lord, that honorable gentleman, 
lord Lucullus, entreats your company to-morrow to hunt 
with him: and has sent your honour two brace of "greyhounds. 

ISha'kespeare. 

From Antony and Cleopa'ra. Act I. 

Messenger. Thy biddings have been done ; and every 
Most noble Csesar, shalt thou have report [hour. 

How 'tis abroad. Pompey is strong at sea; 
And ifc appears, he is beloved of those 
That only have feared Caesar; to the fleets 
The discontentents repair, and men's reports 
Give him much wronged. 

Shakes'penre. 

The Fourth Attitude is based on the preceding posi- 
tion. It is principally used in personations, and is ex- 
pressive of imjnidence, self-assertion, etc. As examples 
on which to practice, we cite the following: 



22 ELEMENTS OF EXPEESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 
From King Henry IV. First Part, Act II. 



Poins. Come, your reason, Jack, your reason. 

Fahtaff. What, upon compulsion? No ; were I at the strap- 
pado or all the racks in the world, I would not tell you on 
compulsion. Give you a reason on compulsion I if reasons 
were as plenty as blackberries, 1 would give no man a reason 
upon compulsion, 1.— Shakespeare. 



From Interview with President Lincoln. 



"Go home, you miserable men, go home and till the sile! 
go to peddlin tinware— go to choppin wood— go to bilin' sope 
— stuff sassengers — black boots — go to lecturin at 50 dollars a 
nite — imbark in the peanut biziniss — write for the Ledger — saw 
off your legs and go round givin concerts, with tuchin appeals 
^0 a charitable public, printed on your handbills — anything 
for a honest living, but don't come round here driven Old 
Abe crazy by your outrajis cuttings up ! Go home. Stand not 
upon the order of your goin', but go to onct! Ef in five min- 
its from this time," sez I, pullin' out my new sixteen dollar 
huntin cased watch and brandishin it before their eyes, "'Ef 
in five minits from this time a single sole of you remains on 
these here premises, I'll go out to my cage near by, and let my 
Boy Constructor loose ! You ought to have seen them 
scamper, Mr. Fair. They run orf as tho Satan hisself was ar- 
ter them with a red hot ten pronged pitchfork. In five min- 
its the premises were clear. — Artemus Ward. 



GENERAL EXAMPLES. 

From Mr. Isaacs. 

I came not to bid you forget; I come to bid you remember. 
Remember all that is past; treasure it in the secret store- 



I 



POSITION . 23 

house of the soul where the few flowers culled from life's 
abundant thorn are laid in their fragrance and garnered up. 
Remember also the future. Think that your time is short, 
and that the labor shall be sweet; so that in a few quick 
years you shall reap a harvest of unearthly blooming. Fear 
not to tread boldly in the tracks of those who have climbed 
before you, and who have attained and have conquered. Be 
bold, aspiring, fearless, and firm of purpose. What guerdon 
can man or Heaven offer higher than eternal communion 
with the bright spirit that waits and watches for your com- 
ing? With her — you said it while she lived — was your life, 
your light, and your love ; it is true tenfold now, for with her 
is life eternal, light ethereal, and love spiritual. 

F. Marion Craioford. 

From Living Waters. 

Oh, and deeper through the calm rolled the ceaseless ocean 

psalm. 
Oh, and brighter in the sunshine all the meadow stretched 

away 
And a little lark sang clear from the willow branches near. 
And the glory and the gladness closed about me where I lay. 
And I said, "Ay, verily waiteth yet the master key, 
All these mysteries that shall open, though to surer hand 

than mine: 
All these doubts of our discerning, to the peace of knowledge 

turning, 
All our darkness, which is human, to the light which is 

divine! 

Ina Coolhrith. 

From The Human Tragedy. Act III. 

"My children I" when their jubilant welcome waned, 

With resonant clear voice he said, "I am here. 

The French Jove's minions thought to hold me chained, 

Lest I spread fire through his Cimmerian sphere. 

OI how his eagle rent me, as I strained 



24 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

To rid me of my rock's enjoying gear! 
But herculean destiny, which foils 
Olympian counsels, came and cut my toils. 
"And lol 1 stand among you yet once more, 
Sons of my heart and scions of my soul! 
I vsee ye are still, all that ye were of yore, 
The valorous stuff Alcmene's self might foal. 
Behind, lies shame in ambush,— peril before. 
Which do you choose? Speak ! whither is our goaP" 
He paused ; and like a thunderclap, the breath 
Of their charged breasts roared loud, "To Rome or 
Death!" 

Alfred Austin. 



From The Poet's Preaching. 



See how the day beameth briglitly before us I 
Blue is the firmament— green is the earth- 
Grief hath no voice in the universe-chorus — 
Nature is ringing with music and mirthi 
Lift up the looks that are sinking in sadness- 
Gaze! and if Beauty can capture thy soul, 
Virtue herself will allure thee to gladness — 
Gladness, Philosophy's guerdon and goal. 



Enter the treasuries pleasure uncloses — 
List! how she thrills in the nightingale's lay I 
Breathe: she is wafting the sweets from the roses; 
Feel! she is cool in the rivulet's play; 
Taste! from the grape and the nectarine gushing 
Flows the red rill in the beams of the sun — 
Green in the liills, in the flower-groves blushing, 
Look ! she is always and everywhere one. 

./. C. ■ Mangan. 



POSITION. -^O 

From In Clover. 

O cloud! press onward to fche hill, 
He needs you for his falling streams 
The sun shall be my solace still 
And feeJ. me with his beams. 

O little humpback bumble be'? ! 

smuggler! breaking my repose, 
I'll slily watch you now and see 
Where all the honey goes. 

Yes, here is room enough for two; 
I'd -sooner be your friend than not; 
Forgetful of the world, as true, 

1 woiJd it were forgot. 

Charles Warren Stoddard. 

From Middle Georgia Rural Life. 

"Why, Jim, how happens it that you quit Perkins?" 
asked the gentleman. 

"Well now, Marse Jack, I gwine up en tell you jes how 'tis. 
I wuck fer dah man all. las' year, en I wuck hard, en I make 
him a good crop. Well, now, the troof is, I did git f'om him a 
few, but min' you, jes only a few, merlasses en tobaker, en 
one hat, en a pa'r o' shoes, en one little thing en 'nother. 
Well, den, Chris'mus come, en he say, 'Jim, I gwine make out 
our 'count.' En den he tuck he piece o' paper en he pen, en 
he ink-vial, en he 'gin a settin' down, en when hethoo wid 
dat job, he 'gin a-addin up, en a-put'n down, en a kyar'n 
en he kyar'd, en he kep' on a-kyar'n, ontwel, bless your soul 
en body! Marse Jacky, when he got thoo, he done kyar's off 
all what was a comin' tome! En so I make up my min', I 
does, to lefl dar, en pewoose myself bc^ck to you, whar I 
knows dey net gwine be no sich kyar'n as dem. 

It!. M. Johnston. 



26 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSTCAL. 
From The Yank e in Ireland. 

"Our firearms were entirely useless,— the powder beings wet 
with sea water,— and there stood the young outlaw, pointing 
a brace of pistols at our heads. 'Surrender,' said I; 'I com-' 
mand you, in the name of the queen, to surrender instantly.' 

•' 'Ha, ha!' he laughed— surrender to hounds like you, O 
for the firm earth to stand on, and a good thong to kennel 
such cowardly dogs. A pistol bullet is too honorable a death 
for such drivelling slaves.' 

"This taunt stung me to the quick ; and calling on my men 
to rush on him in a body, I sprang forward myself to seize 
him ; but, alas, I was again unfortunate, and fell flat on my 
face on the bottom of the boat. In another instant his heel 
was on my neck." 

" 'Lie there, dog,' he cried, 'lie there, and die the only 
death you deserve. ' " 

Paul Peppergrass. 



rrom Cymbeline. Act III. 

Imo. I see a man's life is a tedious one : 
I have tir'd myself ; and for two nights together 
Have made the ground my bed. I should be sick, 
But that my resolution helps me.— Milford, 
When from the mountain-top, Pisanio show'd thee, 
Thou wast within a ken ; O Jove! I think, 
Foundations fly the wretched; such, I mean. 
Where they should be reliev'd. Two beggars told me 
I could not miss my way: Will poor folks lie. 
That have afflictions on them; knowing 'tis 
A punishment or trial? Yes, no wonder. 
When rich ones scarce tell true : to lapse iu fullness 
Is sorer, than to lie for need; and falsehood 
Is worse in kings than beggars.— My dear lord! 
Thou art one o' the false ones: Now I think on th^^, 
My hunger 's gone ; but even before, I was 
At point to sink for food.— But what is this, 



POSITION. 27 

Here is a pr.tli to it : 'Tis some savage bold : 

I were best not call: I dare not call: yet famine. 

Ere clean it o'erthrow nature, makes it Taliant. 

Plenty, and peace, breeds cowards; hardness ever 

Of hardiness is mother.— Ho, who's here? 

If anything that's civil, speak; if savage, 

Take or lend.— Hoi— ]S"o answer? then I'll enter. 

Best draw my sword, and if mine enemy 

But fear the sword like me he'll scarcely look on't. 

Such a foe, gnnd heavens] 

Shalces])care. 



28 ELEMENTS OF EXPKESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 



CHAPTER 



ARTICULATION. 

Articulation, derived from articulare= to divide into 
single members or joints, to famish with joints, hence, 
to utter distinctly, giving each joint its due value and 
prominence, demands precedence, being the basis of 
just Elocution. 

Jonathan Barber says: "Students of elocution 
should always attend to articulation as the primary 
object; and in the first instance, it should be prosecuted 
alone, as a distinct branch of the art, and prosecuted 
until perfection%in it is attained." 

The acquisition of an accurate and distinct articula- 
tion is wholly mechanical. It demands nothing more 
than industry and persevering elementary practice. 
Wherein does it consist? 

"In just articulation, the words are not hurried 
over, nor precipitated syllable over syllable; nor, as it 
were, melted together into a mass of confusion. They 
should neither be abridged nor prolonged, nor swal- 
lowed, nor forced; they should noi>^ be trailed nor 
drawled, nor let slip out carelessly. They are to be 
delivered out from the lips as beautiful coins, newly 
issued from the mint; deeply and accurately impressed, 



ARTICULATION . 



29 



perfectly finished, neatly struck by the proper organs, 
distinct, in due succession and of due weight. "■ — Aus- 
tin's Cliironomia. 

Although it is impossible to classify all the elements 
of syllables and words exactly, the following classili- 
cation will be fouud comprehensive and accurate enough 
for cultivating the articulatory organs. Theory, how- 
ever, will prove useless, unless swallowed up in prac- 
tice- 
Practice, and practice only, in every department of 
elocution, is the magic watchvvor<i that insures success. 

ELEMENTARY SOUNDS- 



1 ., - 

j a jis 


in durn. 


8L 


as in pharos. 


e e'as 


ill merger. 


a 


path. 


a 


" Italian. 


yj 
U 


' null. 


a 


' rare. 


e 


^' hehn. 


u 


' huiiiLsh. 


a 


^ tan<j. 


e 


" pjremier. 


i 


" rift 




' Quffaw. 





" junto. 


00 


" rooJi'. 


a 


' notary. 





" loam. 


00 


' loon. 



DIPHTHONGS. 



c:i =: a glide from a to oo, pout. 

u = a compound of i and oo, student. 

T = a glide from a to i, prize. 

a = a vanish in i or e, reiy. 

0^ == a vanish in oo or co, honer. 



30 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 
ORAL CONSONANT ELEMENTS. 



Place of Articulation. 



Lips 

Lips and teeth 

Tono^Qe and teeth 

Tonp^ae and hard palate (forward) 
Tongue and hard palate (back) . . . 
Tongue, hard, and soft palate. . . . 

Tongue and soft palate 

Various places 



Continuous 



f 

th(in) 

s 

sh 



w 

th(y) 
z, r 
zh, r 

y, I 



Momen- 


tary 




&H 


p 


^ 


tf 


< 


b 


^ 


cc 


o 




OQ 


p 


b 


t 


d" 


ch 


J 


k 


^ 


h 





Consonants are styled Momentary and Continuous, be- 
cause the mate consonants, surds as well as sonants, are 
incapable of any appreciable duration; whereas the con- 
tinuants may be sustained until the breath expires. 

Consonants delivered with impeded tone, owing to 
their tone quality, are called "sonants;" consonants 
produced with breath sounds only, and those made by 
mute action, are called surds, because they are "tone- 
less." 

For the oral consonants, the passage through the nose 
must be wholly obstructed. It is the property of the 
soft palate to do this by being pressed like a valve on 
the wall of the pharynx, thus clearing the passage into 
the mouth. 

The nasal consonants, m, n, ng, which are solely 
"sonants,'' require the soft palate to be depressed, thus 
cutting off the passage to the mouth and renderinsf it 
necessary for the air to escape through the nooc^iis; 
e. g. , twang, sing, wrong, lamb, etc. 



ARTICULATION. 31 

The examples which follow have been culled with 
careful hand from Catholic gardens, and form a bou- 
quet, exhaling the most wholesome fragrance. 

While the specific object for their insertion was the 
exemplification of vowel-quality, withal, the teacher 
will find a broad field wherein his pupils may profitably 
explore for specimens of various kinds of Pitch, Force, 
Inflection, Emphasis, etc. 

Vowels having identical sounds or closely allied, 
have been combined; for their correct pronunciation 
Webster's dictionary will afford the rules. 



E. 



An answer, nob that you long for, 
But diviner, will come one day; 

Your eyes are too dim to see it, 
Yet strive and wait and pra?/. 

Adelaide A. Procter. 



Weep on, weep on, your hour is past, 

Your dreams of Pride are o'er; 
The fatal chain is round you cast 

And you are men no more. 
In vain the hero's heart hath bled, 

The sage's tongue hath warned in vain 
Oh, Freedom! once thy flame hath, fled, 

It never lights again! 



Faith's meanest deed more favor bears 
Where hearts and wills are weigh'd, 

Than brightest transports, choicest prayers. 
Which bloom their hour and fade. 



32 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL, 

Heaven but fcintly warms the breast 
That beats beneath a broider'd Yeil ; 

And she who comes in glittering vest 
To mourn her frmlty, still is trail. 



Those hearts of ours— how strange ! how strange! 
How they yearn to ramble, and love to range 
Down through the vales of the years long gone, 
Up thi'ough the future that fast rolls on. 

Father Byan. 



God is in all places ; therefore, we owe Him respect in all 
places. There is no place in the universe which is not conse- 
crated by the presence of His majesty: and in what place 
soever I am. I may say with Jacob : "This place is holy, and 
I knew it not." 



E. 



I've lived to know my share of joy, 

To feel my share of pain, 

To learn that friendship's self can cloy ; 

To love, and love in vain; 

To feel a pang and wear a smile, 

To tire of other climes; 

To like my own unhappy isle, 

And sing the gay old times! 

Old times 1 Old times! 



The very earth, the steamy air 
Is all with fragrance rife; 

And grace and beauty every where 
Are flushing into life. 



ARTICULATION . 33 

Do you ask me the place of this valley, 
To hearts that are harrowed by care? 

It lieth afar between mountains, 
And God and 'His Angels are there; 
And one is the dark mount of sorrow, 
And one the bright mountain of prayer. 



Oh, England's fame ! Oh, glorious name ! 
And one, that France most cherished. 
On marble bare are written there — 
The*r names and how they perished.' 
Its summit high against the sky. 
Like sentinel defending, 
Points from the sod to where, with God', 
Their spirits now are blending! 

Joseph K. For an. 



A. 



J.nd mine, O brother of my soul 
When my release shall come ; 

Thy gentle arms shall lift me then, 
Thy wings shall waft me home. 



We trample grass and prize the flowers, of May: 
Yet grass is green when flowers fade away. 



, What land, what people, has the sun ever illumined more 
worthy of the heart's deep affection than our own"? Here, 
where Nature, who never hastens and never tires, has stored, 
through countless ages, whatever may be serviceable to man, 
divine Providence he^s given us a country as large as all Eu- 
rope, with a soil more fertile, and a climate more invigorating. 



34: ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

In the city hallowed by the name of Washington, in the 
Capitol of the freeest people on earth, the Eoman Catholic 
Church made to our country the magnificent gift of a great 
university, where science and art, where religion and morality 
will ever find a home, and where our people will learn the 
grand lesson that loyalty to God means loyalty to the state. 

Had Washington, Franklin, Carroll, and their illustrious 
brethren failed in the work which God had laid out for them, 
it would have been a dire calamity to humanity itself. 



Then what this world to thee, my heart? 
Its gifts nor feed thee nor can bless ; 
Thou hast no owner's part 
In all its fleetingness. 

In the dark hour of the night, just before day, 

In the rear of the camp, 'twas marching my beat 

When a gentle voice murmured, "Forgive them, I pray. 

For this, O my Lord ! I bow at thy feet." 

To the tent of the penitent I moved on tiptoe, 

I thought some mortal was stricken with grief. 

^Twas a Sister of Charity, face all aglow. 

Praying for us and our country's relief. 

John F. Scanlan. 

Every one has some sweet face 
Prisoned in a picture case, 
Or by memory's magic art 
Photographed upon the heart: 
And we all in gloomy days. 
Steal apart and on them gaze. 

Michael O^ Connor. 



ARTICULATION. 

l^ow from the overcrowded streets, 
Whose torrid heat the city parclies, 

Tlie multitudes seek cool retreats 
By breozy shores or woodland arches. 

W. D. Kelly. 

It da-vned on my soul like a picture of light, 
Or a jibar that illumines the azure of night, 
Sparkling and beautiful, winsome and fair 
The pink of perfection of all that were there. 

John Cur ran Keegan. 



A. 

The temple is across; its centre the tabernacle, and Christ 
is adored forever in the divinest symbol of His love, which is 
borne upward on aerial spires far above all monuments of hu- 
man pride, shedding benediction and gentler life through the 
world's waste. 

Seek thy salve while sore is green, 

Fester'd wounds ask deeper lancing ; 

After-cures are seldom seen, 

Often sought, scarce ever chancing: 

In the rising stifle ill. 

Lest it grow against thy will. 

Bobert Southwell. 

Another year— the curfew rings ; 

Fast cover up each coal. 

The old year dies, the old year dies, 

The bells its requiem toll. 

A pilgrim year has reached its shrine, 

The air with incens-j glows ; 

The spirit of another year 

Comes forth from long repose. 

TJiomaa O'Hagan. 



86 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 
A. O. 



Swift fly fclie j^ears, and rise th' expected morn! 
O, spring to light, auspicious babe be borni 

Pope. 

O, Religion of peace! thou hast not like other systems, in- 
culcated the precepts of hatred and discord: thou hast XiaughX, 
men nothing but love and harmony. 

In awQ she listened, and the shade 

Passed from her soul away: 
In low and trembling voice she cried, 

"Lord help me to obey!" 

The waves were white, and red the morn 

In the noisy hour when I was born, 

And the whale it whistled, and the porpoise rolled, 

And the dolphins bared their backs of gold: 

And never was heard such an outcry wild 

As welcomed to life the ocean child! 

All nature manifests the infinite skill of its AuXAiot. 

See how pale the moon rolls 

Her silver wheel ; and, scattering beams afar 
On earth's benighted souls, 

See wisdom's holy star ; 
Or, in his fiery course, the sanguine orb of war. 

Star of the deep! when angel lyres 

To hymn thy holy name essay. 
In vain a mortal harp aspires 
To mingle in the mighty lay! 
Mother of God! one living ray 
Of hope our grateful bosom fires, 
When storms and tempests pass away. 
To join the bright immortal choirs. 
Ave Maris Stella' 



ARTICULATION. rj ( 

FrtL in I fall in! fall in! Every man in his place 
Fall in! fall in! fall in! Each with a cheerful face 
Fall in! fall in! 

How calm, how beautiful comes on 
The stilly hour, when storms are gone; 
When warring winds have died away. 
And clouds beneath the glancing ray, 
Melt off, and leave the land and sea 
Sleeping in bright tranquillity,— 
Fresh as if day again were born. 
Again upon the lap of morn. 

In some things all, in all things none arc crossed ; 
Few all things need, and none have all they wish. 
Unmingled joys here to no man befall ; 
Who least hath some: who most hath never all. 



A. O. OW. 

.An:dous thoughts in endless circles roll. 
Without a centre where to fix the soul : 

In this wild maze their wild endeavors end ; 
How can the less the greater comprehend? 

Or finite reason reach infinity? 
For what could fathom God were more than He. 

Peace o'er the world her olive wand extend. 

And white-robed Innocence from, heaven descend. 

Hark! a glad ^^oice the lonely desert cheers :~ 

"Prepare the way ! a God, a God appears!" 

"A God, a God!" the vocal hills reply; 

The rocks proclaim th' approaching Deity. Po2)c. 

Knowledge is the light which comes down from the throne 
of the Eternal. 



38 ELEMENTS OF EXrKESSlON, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Passed from this world with sin and sorrow rife, 
A world untitted for a soul like hers— 
Pure In each sphere— as sister, mother, wife— 
To mingle with God's holiest worshippers, 
And round his throne to join the myriad throng 
Who praise His holy name in ceaseless song! 

/. C. Curtin. 



A. 



Down, down they come — those fruitful stores ! 
Those earth-rejoicing drops ! 
A momentary deluge pours, 
Then thins, decreases, stops. 



Freedom all solace to man gives; 
He lives at ease who freely lives. 



The beginning of matter, the elements into which it may 
ultimately be resolvable, how the cycles of the heavenly bod- 
ies began, the unspeakable intricacy of their checks and 
counter-checks, the secular aberrations and secular correc- 
tions of the same, the secret of life, the immateriality of the 
soul, where physical science ends,— all these questions are dis- 
cussed in a thousand books in a spirit and tone betokening 
the most utter forgetfulness that we are little creatures, who 
got here, God help us! where He chooses and when.— Father 
Faber. 

And the music flows down the dim valley 
Till each finds a word for a wing; 
That to men, like the doves of the deluge, 
The message of peace they may bring. 



ARTICULATION. 



E. EE. I. 

They shall safely steer who see ; 
Sight is wisdom. Come to me ! 

Hunted elsewhere, God's Church with thee found rest: — 
Thy future Hope is she— that queenly Guest. 

Oh be not thine such strife! there heaves no sod 
Along thy fields, but hides a hero's head; 
And when you charge for freedom and for God 
Then — then be mindful of the mighty dead! 
Thinli that your field of battle is the bed 
Where slumber hearts, that never feared a foe 
And while you feel, at each electric tread, 
Their spirit through your veins indignant glow. 
Strong be your sabre's sway for freedom's vengeful 
blow. 

Oh, might I see but once again, as once before. 
Through chance or wile, that shape awhile, and then 

no more ! 
Death soon would heal my griefs! This heart, now sad 

and sore. 
Would beat anew a little while, and then no more! 

Ah! thus when Death shall close the scene, may Heaven's 

eternal Spring 
Around the soul her fadeless wreaths her sacred roses fling; 
And when she looks in triumph back, will not her world of 

bliss 
Seem happier, for the gloom that rests on all that's found 

in this. 

Dear emblem of my native land, 

My fresh fond words kept fresh and green 

The pressure of an unfelt hand 

The kisses of a lip unseen. 



4-0 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

A throb from my dear mother's heart— 
My father's smile revived once more — 
Oh, youth! oh, love! oh, hope! thou art 
Sweet shamrock, from the Irish shore! 



E. 



The Saviour's image sanctities the ancestral hall, the closet 
and bed-chamber; it is the subject for the exercise of the 
highest genius in the imitative arts; it is worn next to the 
heart in life: it is held before the failing eyes in death. 

The whole universe is a temple tilled with the glorious pres- 
ence of the Deity. 

Not always full of leaf, nor even spring ; 
]^ot endless night, nor yet eternal day, 
The sadest birds a season find to sing ; 
The roughest storms a calm may soon allay. 
Thus, with succeeding terms God tempereth all; 
That man may hope to rise, yet fear to all. 

But ah! on sudden. Famine's breath brought direful desola- 
tion; 
Whilst tyrants cast their cruel laws around the dying nation, 
And spurn'd the wasted, wither'd poor, for help, for mercy 

crying, 
The Saxons smiled with joy to hear that Celtic sons were dy- 
ing. 

O! grant that when again 

A year has fled, 
And 'rnid the haunts of men 

My time has sped. 
My retrospective look 

May not rebuke. 



ARTICULATION . 41 

E. T. U. 

Fairer the inward' perfection of a soul which God has re- 
newed, than all the gorgeous but evanescent loveliness of 
earth's most lovely scenes. 

See ! seel th' Eternal Hands 

Put on her radiant crown, 
And the sweet Majesty 

Of mercy sitteth down. 
Forever and for ever 

On her predest'n'd throne! 

Softly woo away her breath, 

Gentle Death! 
Let her leave thee with no strife. 
Tender, murmunng, iuournful Life! 



Every word has its own spirit — 
True or false — that never dies: 
Every word man's lips have uttered 
Echoes in God's skies. 

From vast Niagara's gurgling roar 
To Sacramento's golden shore. 

From east to western wave 
The blended vows of millions rise, 

Their voice re-echoes to the skies— 
"The Union we must save!" 



Serve, then, that King, immortal and so full of mercy, who 
will value a sigh and a glass of water given in His name, more 
than all others will ever do the effusion of all your blood; and 
begin to date the time of your useful services from the day on 
which you shall have given yourself to a master so beneficent 

JBorsuet, 



4:2 ELEMENTS OF EXPKESSION, VOCAL AND PHYRTCAL. 

The Lord knows best; He gave us thirst for barning: 
And deepest knowledge of his work betrays 
No fch^rst left waterless. Shall our soul-yearning 
Apart from all things be a quenchless blaze? 

John Boyle O'Bcilly. 



E. 



Generosity, tenderness, and refinement of nature are espe- 
cially cherished by poesy: while the hardier virtues, courage, 
perseverance, and self-sacrifice, the constituents of the heroic 
character, have at all times been the great objects to which 
it directs our admiration. 



Deny me wealth, far, far remove 

The lure of power or name; 
Hope thrives in straits, in weakness, love. 

And faith, in this world's shame. 



He beheld his wife and his infant w^eep for unknown joy: 
soon yielding to an irresistible impulse, he fell at the foot of 
fciie cross, and mingled torrents of tears with the regenerating 
waters that were poured upon his head. 



Has there been any form of government ever devised by 
man to which the religion of Catholics has not been accommo- 
dated? 



Man must not be permitted altogether to despise himself; 
lest, believing, witli the impious, that life is but a game in 
which hazard reign, he follow without rule and without 
guidance, the will of his blind desires. 



ARTICULATION. 43 



Lead fa'ndly Kglit, amid the encircling gloom 

Lead tliou me on I 
The night is dark, and 1 am far from home; 

Lead thou me onl 

Ye heavens I from high the dewy nectar pour, 
And in soft silence shed the kindly shower. 

Kise ! for the day is passing, 

And you lie dreaming on : 

The others have buckled their armour 

And forth to fight are gone. 

O source of uncreated light, 
The Father's promised Paraclete! 
Thrice holy fount, thrice holy f*re. 
Our hearts with heavenly love inspire. 
Come and thy sacred unction bring 
To sanctif?/ us while we sing. 

Yet higher powers must think though they repine 
When sun is set, the little stars will shine. 

Yain are thy offerings, vain thy sighs 
Without one gift divine 
Give \tmy child, t\\y heart to me, 
And it shall rest in mine ! 



The Catholic procession is the overflowing of religious joy, 
beyond the vessel that usually contains it. It is the mjystical 
stream which Ezechiel saw flowing from the Altar of the holy 
place, and issuing abroad, through the temple gates: deepen- 
ing and swelling, as it flows along, till it becomes a mighty 
torrent, bounding forward in exultation, and making a- joyful 
noise as the sound of many waters. 



44 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

He from tMck films shall purge the v^sual ray, 
And on the sightless eye-ball pour the day ; 
'Tis He th' obstructed paths of sound shall clear 
And bid new music charm th' unfolding ear. 



Why should I shiver beside the dim river 
Which the feet of Christ have coasted? 
For the angel of death can deliver 
Grief-laden souls that are yearning to soar. 



Oh! land of sorrows, Innisfail ! the saddest, yet the fairest! 
Though ever-fruitful are thy breasts — though green the garb 

thou wearest, 
In vain jbhy children seek thy gifts, and fondly gather round 

thee ; 
They live as strangers midst thy vales since dark oppression 

bound thee. 

Bev. Andrew Butler. 



I. 



What an awful state of mind must a man have attained, 
when he can despise a mother's counsel! Her very name is 
identified with every idea that can subdue the sternest mind ; 
that can suggest the most profound respect, the deepest and 
most heartfelt attachment, the most unlimited obedience. 



Humility is one of the most difficult of virtues, both to 
attain and to ascertain. Ancient civilization had not the 
idea, and had no word to express it; or rather, it had the idea, 
and considered ifc a defect of mind, not a virtue, so that the 
word whicb denoted it conveyed a reproach.— iVetowarj. 



ARTICULATION . 45 

O, then, let tliy magical fingers glide lightly, 
The slumbering strings rouse to melody true, 
And thy own gentle voice chime with every v^bration 
As on fragrant flowers falls the soft soothing dew. 

Bev. Michael B. Brown. 



O. 



Sony H]) m / so.'d nnto thy rest. 
Cast off this loathsome load: 
Long is the death of thine exile, 
Too long thy strict abode. 



The old proverb "Charity begins at home" so often quoted 
and so little understood, means this: the first act of charity 
is like the expansion of the circle in the water; it springs 
from its centre, it cannot overleap the intermediabe space. 
Depend upon it, therefore, that if our hearts conceive great 
thoughts of charity, and of some work at a distance, while 
we are not doing the work of charity which lies at our feet 
it is a mere illusion. 



Still, still in tliose wilds may young liberty rally. 
And send her strong shout over mountain and valley; 
The star of the west may yet rise in its glory. 
And the land that was darkest, be brightest in stor^-. 



In this sweet spot the loved are sleeping ; 
The sculptured angel pure as snow. 
Is, like the living mowrner, weeping 
For those who rest in death below! 
On the white marble fond affection. 
Above the buried and the cold, 
Hath traced — ah mottrnful retrospection! 
Their praise in characters of gold. 



46 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Oh no,— not a heart that e'er knew him but mourns, 
Deep, deep, o'er the grave, where such glory is shrined — 
O'e'r a monument fame will preserve, "mong the urns 
Of the wisest, the bravest, the best of mankind! 



O. OO. U. 

Those hearts of ours— what fools! what fools! 
How they laugh at wisdom her cant and rwles! 
How they waste their powers, and, when wasted, grieve 
For what they have squandered but can not retrieve. 

Father Byan. 

Oh! well was it said, tho' the king rule the nation, 
Tho' the making of laws to the statesman belongs. 
Who reigns first, who reigns last in the hearts of creation 
Is the god-given poet who maketh our songs. 

.Eleanor C Donnelly. 

Are our hearts lighter for the roses bloom? 
Or sad life fairer for their odorous breath? 
Or tangled threads upon Fate's busy loom, 
More deftly straightened by the hands of death? 

Sara T. Smith. 



O. OO. u. 

• • 

That mother viewed the scene of blood; 
Her six unconquer'd sons were gone; 
Fearless she viewed — beside her stood 
Her last— her youngest— dearest one ; 
He looked upon her and he smiled; 
Oh! will she save that only child? 



AETICULATION. 47 

Her loyal subjects, low and high, 
FmII many a costly tribute bring; 
The glories of her kingdom, I, 
Her humble poet laureate sing. 

E. J. McPhelip. 

Trust not him thy bosom's weal, 
A painted love alone revealing: 
The show, without fche lasting zeal : 
The hollow voice, without the feeling. 

Gerald Griffin. 



O- U. 



1 had a dream : yes: some one softly said ; 

"He's gone; and then a sigh went round the room. 

And then I surely heard a priestly voice 

Cry Subverdte; and they Icnelt in prayer." 

Keicrnun. 

Judge not; the worl^ings of iiis brain 

And of his heart thou canst not see; 

What looks to thy dim eyes a stain 

In God's pure light may only be 

A scar, brought from some well-won , 

Where thou wouldst only faint and yield. 

Hours are golden links, God's token, 
Reaching heaven ; hut one by one 
Take them, lest the chain be broken 
Ere the pilgrimage be done. 



There's nothing dark, below, above, 
But in its gloom I trace thy love, 
And meekly waifthat moment when 
Thy touch shall turn all bright again. 



ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, YOCAL AND PHYSir a t 

Truth can understand, error, bitt error cannot tuwei'^ijana, 
truth. 

Another year— with tears and joys 

To form an arch of love, 
Another year to toil with hope 

And seek for rest above: 
Another year winged on its way 

Eternity the goal 
Another year — peace in its train, 

Peace to each parting soul. 

It is a day to date from, when we tirst come to see, that the 
very fact of God having created us is in itself a whole magnif- 
icent revelation of eternal love, more safe to lean j^pon tharj 
what we behold, more worthy of our tritst than what we 
know, more utterly our own than any other possession we can 
have. — Father Faher. 



01. OY. 



"Then ye tarry with me," cried the gypsy in jo;y, 
"And you make of my dwelling your home. 
Many years have I prayed that tlie Israelite hoy 
(Blessed hope of the Gentiles) would come." 

To leafless shrubs the flowering palms succeed, 
The od'rous myrtle to the no/some weed. 
The lambs with wolves shall graze the verdant mead, 
And boiys in flow'ry bands the tiger lead. 

Po2^e, 

While I, embroidering here with pleasant toil 
My imaged traceries around my name, 
Tliis banner weave (in part from hostile spoil). 
And j)ay ray fealtliy to thy highest claim! 

(Jardinal Wmniaii, 



ARTICULATIOI^ . 49 

OU. OW. 

A vacant hoi'.r is always the devil's hour. "When time hangs 
heavy, the wings of the spirit flap painfully and slow. Then 
it is that a book is a strong towor, nay a very Church, with 
angels lurking among the leaves, as if they were so many 
niches. 

In the stillness of awe and wonder, a clear bold voice cried 
out, from a group near the door: "Impious tj^rant, dost thow 
not see that a poor, blind Christian hath more po?i.'er over 
life than thou or thy cruel masters'? 

Away, away! ov.r hearts are gay, 
And free from care, by night and day. 
Think not of summer pleasure; 
The merry bells ring gayly out 
Out lips keep time with song and shout 
And laugh in happy measure. 

The seal the seal the open seal 

The blue, the fresh, the ever free! 

Withoitt a mark, withoitt a bownd, 

It runneth the earth's wide regions round, 

It plays with the clouds; it mocks the skies; 

Or like a cradled creature lies. 

Ye fields of changeless green, 

Cover'd with living streams and fadeless lowers, 

Thou paradise serene, 

Eternal joyful ho'irs 

My disembodied soul shall welcome in thy boiuers. 

May never was the month of love 

For May is full of flou;ers 
But April rather wet by kind, 

For love is full of showers. 

Robert Southwell. 



50 ELEMENTS OF EXPEESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

6. 

From harmony, from heavenly harmony, 

This universal frame began : 

From harmony to harmony 

Through all the compass of the notes it ran, 

The diapason closing full in man. 

Dryden. 

The spirit of the world can call to order sin which is not 
respectable. It can propound wise maxims of public decency, 
and inspire wholesome regulations of police. Or, again, 
there it is, with high principles on its lips, discussing the re- 
ligious vocation of some youth, — while it urges discreet de- 
lay—and more considerate submissiveness to those who love 
him, and have natural rights to his obedience. 

Father Faher. 



U. 

U. 



The pure, pale star of the autumn eve 
Beams from the blue like an r.ngel's eye. 
And softly the wayward wavelets heave 
And sink on the strand with a weary sigh! 

Justice pales, truth fades, stars fall from heaven; 
Human are the great whom we revere; 
No true crown of honor can be given, 
Till the wieatli lies on a funeral bier. 

Oh! His rest will be with you in the congress of the great, 
Who are petrified by sorrow, and are victors over fate: 
Oh, God's rest will be with you, in the corridors of Fame, 
Which were ju-bilant with welcome, when Death called out 
your name. 



ARTICULATION. 

And hark! I hear a singing: yet in sootli, 
] -annot of that mitsic rightly say 
Whether 1 hear or touch, or taste the tones. 
O. what a heart-subdiung melody! 



u. 



There has not been a sound to-day 
To break the calm of nature 
Is or motion, I migliL almost say. 
Of life or living creati^re. 

Leagne not with him in friendship's tie, 
Wliose selfish soul is bent on pleasitre ; 
Foi' lie from joy to joy wi'l fly, 
As changes fancy's tickle meas?xre. 

Behold her, ye worldly! behold her, ye vain I 
Who shrink from the pathway of virtue and pain 
Wlio yield up to pleas , ire your nigh s and your days 
Forgetful of service, forgetful of praise. 

Gerald Griffin. 



For disciplining the organs, and for acquiring fa- 
cility ill the distinct enunciation of difficult combina- 
tions, the following exercises are invaluable. 
bd, robbVl, sobb'd, mobb'd. 

He was mobb'd by men whose doctrine was, 

•'Might makes Eight.'' 
bst, diibb'st, webb'st, drubb'st. 

Why dubb'st thou wise — a dullard? 



52 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL, 

blz, marbles, troubles, foibles. 

The foibles of life tickle the sides of Mirth, 
blst, trembl'st, assembl'st, enfeebl'st. 

Thou enfeebl'st the cause by temporizing, 
bid, mumbl'd, fumbl'd, humbl'd. 

'Tis but the humbl'd plaint of pride, 
bjdst, nihWd'st, gahbld'st, dissembld'st. 

Dissembld'st thou, or didst thou tell the truth? 
bz, tubes, fobs, robes. 

Oh robes of the rich and great! Your texture often 

dazzles and bedims the eyes of justice! 
dlst, meddl'st, handl'st, addl'st. 

'J'hou meddl'st with all affairs, save thine own. 
did, paddl'd, wheedrd, fondl'd. 

Many were the fools he wheedl'd. 
didst, dwindl'dst, fondl'dst, kindl'dst. 

Thou kindl'dst in the breast of youth a flame that 

ne'er will die. 
dnd, glad'n'd, quick'n'd, slack'n'd. 

The sweet whisperings of grace ^lad'n^d his heart 

and quick'n'd his fervor, 
dnz, burd'ns, lad'ns, gladd'ns. 

Guilt bard'ns the mind, 
dr, dream, drunk, drown, drizzle. 

His dreams were all of fame and wealth — ■ 
His life, devoid of both, 
dst, would' St, drudg'ds't, hadst. 

When thou didst hate him worst, thou lov'dst him 
better 
Than ever thou lov'dst Cassius. 
dth, width, breadth. 

The breadth of the world will not satisfy ambition, 
dths, hundredths, thousandths, wreaths, breadths. 



ARTICULATION 06 

Six widths of one only equalled four breadths of 

the other. 
dzh, allege, ledge, fledge. 

Allege not reasons to which you give no credence 

yourself. 
dzhd, privileged, enrag'd, gorg'd. 

His barbarity could be gorg'd with blood alone. 
flst, rifl'st, shiiffl'st, muffl/st. 

Thou shutfl'st in s^ain the cards of error: they al- 
ways come forth with counterfeit value on their faces. 

and can only take the meanest tricks. 
fldst, riflVFst, shuffl'd'st, muffl'd'st. 

Thou rili'd'st, the hordes of the weak and unprotec- 

ed, and count'd'st it an honorable deed? 
fnz, tough'ns, puffins; deaf'ns. 

The religion of Christ soft'ns the heart of the most. 

barbarous nation, 
fnd, fright'n'd, strenght'n'd, height'n'd. 

In vein that cause is strength'n'd that has not jus- 
tice for its basis. 
fts, handicrafts, drafts, rafts. 

Andlo! the crafts are mercilessly seized by hun- 
gry waves that roar themselves hoarse with glee as they 

view the floating timbers of the once united rafts, 
fst, doff'st, scofi'st, quaff'st. 

Vile slave! dofl'st thou not thy fusty castor to the 

king thy liege lord and master? 
ftst, ingraft'st, draught'st, waft'st. 

O Patriotism, thou ingraft'st upon the tree of 

liberty the scions of religious toleration! 
fths, fifty-fifths, twelfths. 

Two fifths and seven twelfths = fifty nine sixti 

eths. 
gd, digg'd, shrugged, waggVl. 



54 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Deep he digg*d into the stubborn earth until greet- 
ed by the glittering ore, 
gdst, tugg'dst lagg'dst. 

Thou tuggVlst in vain with fortnre; the hope of 
riches which thou hugg'dst is illu&ory. 
gld, strangl'd, spangl'd, wranglVl 

The captive's hope was stranurd by the stern de- 
incmor of his judge. 
gist, tingl'st, inveii^rst, struggFst. 

Thou struggFst bravely with adversity and wilt 
not be overcome. 
gldst, juggl'dst, jingl'dst, bungFdst. 

If thou bungl'dst this care 
From thy office forbear. 
gst, bring'st, sing'st, lagg'st. 

O childhood! thou bring'st the most fragrant, 
unselfish, and acceptable offerings to the altar of 
friendship! 
kid, tinkl'd, rankl'd, sparkl'd. 

The tiny bells which sweetly tinkl'd. 
Sweet thoughts of home evoked. 
kldst, tinkl'dst, rankl'dst, sparkl'dst. 

Thou, mercy, more brightly sparkl'dst in the royal 
diadem than any precious stone. 
klz, wrinkl's, trickl's, stickl's. 

He stickl's for injustice more zealously than the 
champions of truth for their cause, 
klst, cackl'st, speckl'st, sprinkl'st. 

Thou cackl'st, but unlike the cackling of the geese 
of Rome, thine aiouses — laughter. 
knd, heark'nd, (lark'nd, lik'nd. 

He heark'nd to the voice of mourning, 
And dried the tears of distress. 
kndst, reck'nd'st, beck'nd'st, wak'nd'st. 



V ARTICULATION, 55 

Ob, Power! When thou beck'nd'st flattery and 

hypocrisy, arm. in arm, hasten to comply, 
kst, text, ach'st, break 'st. 

Thou break'st the laws of heaven and of eartli and 

3^et thou talk'st of harmony. Harmony beoiiis to 

pine when estranged from order. 
ktSj erects, protects, cataracts. 

He erects a monument, which never shall crumble, 

and which the future shall not cease to admire, and 

whereon is written — Spotless Reputation, 
ktst, lock'dst, pickVlst, hack'dot. 

Thou lock'dst thy heart against the gentle knocks 

of grace and now 'tis stony grown . 
Idz, scolds, scalds, unfolds. 

His life unfolds the inward peace and beauty of 

the just, 
idst, yield'st, mouldst, withhold'st 

Yieldst thou without a struggle to such a craven? 
Imst, calm'st, embalm'st, overwhel'mst. 

Thou unwritten music of nature, calm'st the troub- 
led heart and burdened soul. 
Ipst, gulpVlst, help'dst, yelpVlst. 

O Charity! thou help'dst those who could not help 

themselves. 
Iths, commonwealths, filths, healths. 

The glory of commonwealths is bright honor and 

justice. 
Itst, moult 'st, revolt 'st, exalt'st. 

Religion! thou exalt'st humanity to the skies. 
Ivst, revolv'st, delv'st, absolv'st. 

Delv'st thou in knowledge mines 

With hopes of fame or wealth? 
mdst, maim'dst, inflam'dst, defam'dst. 

Thou maim'dst virtue when thou defam'dst R.D. — 



i6 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

mfs, nymphs, lymphs, triumphs. 

The greatest triumphs are those silent, unpreten- 
tious ones o'er self. 
mpst, bump'st romp'st, damp'st. 

Why damp'st thou youthful enthusiasm? 
mst, proclaim'st, redeem'st, bloom 'st. 

Thou proclaim'st thyself valiant thou white-livered 

braggart . 
ndgst, sting'dst, prolong'dst, ring'dst. 

With thy cruelty thou prolong'dst warfare while 

peace was mourning and imploring for reunion. 
ndzh, cringe, singe, expunge. 

Cringe, cringe syco}3hanls! beneath the glance of 

Power ! 
ndzhd, singVl, aveng'd, est'rang'd. 

His manes aveng'd, he ceased commerce with 

mortals, 
ntsht, munch'd, pinch'd, quench'd. 

He ne'er quench'd his thirst at the Pierian spring, 
nths, sixteenths, labyrinths, months. 

Months are lab3'rinths of time, 
ntst, print'st, grunt'st, haunt'st. 

Haunt'st thou the editor with a still-born poem^ 
nz, rains, refrains, feigns. 

It rains, it rains, 
The sweet refrains 
Of crystal drops on window panes, 
My heart and soul enchains, 
pldst, sampl'dst, crumpl'dst, topj)l'dst. 

Thoii easily toppl'dst Error's Monument, 
plz, temples, dimples, ripples. 

The buoyant ripples chased one another in glee and 

Hirted with the coquettish sunbeams that peeped 

throuoh the gently-stirring foliage of the tamarind. 



ARTICULATION. 57 

plst, toppl'st, sampPst, rippl'st. 

Thrice thou sampl'st the hospitality of thine enemy 

and found it generous and an] pie. 
pt, hopp'd, kept, equipp'd. 

Ye are all eqiiipp'd^ We are. Farewell then, Home! 

with the charms, which make thee dear. 
pts, adepts, precepts, excepts. 

Adepts are rare, where diligence and persevering 

practice are rare, 
rbdst, disturb'dst, absorb'dst, curb'dst. 

Thou absorb'dst attention, but the hearts of thy 

auditors remain cold and clayey. 
rdz, chords, rewards, girds. 

The minor chords of humility breathe greater peace 

and joy than the loftiest majors of exultation, 
rdst, bombard'st, retard'st, disregard'st. 

Disregard'st thoa the ingenuous voice of friendship? 
rdzh, purge, surcharge, scourge. 

A scourge should be placed in every loyal Amercain 

hand, to lash the traitor around this Land of Liberty, 
rktst, embarkVlst, perk'dst, smirk'dst. 

Thou embark'dst pilotless in a boundless sea. 
rlc^.vst; twirl'dst, purl'dst, uncurl'dst. 

O Fate, thou uncurTdst the locks of time! 
rmdst, harm'dst, inform'dst, alarm'dst. 

Thou harm'dst not me by depriving me of life, the 

loss is all thine own. 
rndst, yearn'dst, discern Mst, suborn *dst. 

O youth, thou yearn'dst for home — it is thy world! 
rsts, bursts, v/rrsts. thirsts. 

The beacon of faith bursts through the doubtful 

darkness and illumines the perilous w^ay. 
rtst, pervert'st, depart'st, convert'st. 

Depart'st thou without a single word to cheer thee 



58 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

on the way? 
rvdst, observMst, starv'dst, subserv'dst. 

Avarice thou starv'dst thyself for the sake of that 

which thou shalt not enjoy. 
rvst, starv'st, deserv'st, reserv'st. 

Thou prudently reserv'st thy strength for the final 

onset, 
sf, sphacel, sphex. spheral. 

The spheric beauty of the dome evoked the admira- 
tion of all. 
hr, shrouvl, shrivel, shrift. 

The shroud may soon envelop the graceful form 

we praise, 
skr, scrape, screed, scrimp. 

He was such a scrimp that any screed against him 

would be justifiable, 
sks, ))asilisks, burlesques, masks. 

Doo-gerfel is best adapted to burlesques in poetjry. 
skst, ba.sk'st, husk'st, ask'st. 

Husk'st thou the golden ears? 
slst, bustl'st, tussPst, nestrst. 

Thou bustl'st around as officiously as a person who 

has knowledge for his guide, 
snz, lessens, heightens, havens. 

The havens of peace are nigh to the turbid waters 

of contention, 
snst, moist' n'st, height' n'st, quick'n'st. 

Thou moist'n'st the brow of suffering with tears 

of sympathy, 
sps, wasps, wisps, cusps. 

It is strange that wasps which feed on the sweets 

of flowers should have such sour dispositions, 
sts, breasts, outcasts, nests. 

On the last day when the breasts of all shall be un- 



ARTICULATION- 59 

burdened before all, we shall know our friends. 
stst, forecast'st, persist'st, overcast'st. 

Forecast's! thou consequences in accordance with 

the dictates of prudence? 
ths, troths, drouths, wreaths. 

Time had not made one cycle ere their plighted 

troths were broken. 
thd, bequeathed, smooth 'd, sheath'd. 

He bequeathed his family that priceless inheritance- 

— a noble example, an unsullied name. 
thz, scath's, swath's, tith's. 

He scath's the memory of the man whom he feared 

when living, 
thst, breath' St, loath'st, smooth 'st 

Thou loath 'st climbing and yet wouldst fain 

ascend? 
tlst, whittl'st. battl'st, prattFst. 

Battl'st thou against fortune's decrees? 
tldst, whittrdst, battrdst, pratti'dst. 

Thou pratti'dst the drowsy hours away, 
tsht, attach'd. sketch'd, couch'd. 

He that is attach'd truly to virtue's cause nnist be 

virtuous, 
tshst, vouch'dst. scorch'dst, searcirdst. 

Vouch'dst thou for the character of X — ? Then 

thine own character needs a voucher, 
vdst, engrav'dst. retriev'dst, behoov'dst. 

Thou retriev'dst by thy kindness innumerable 

faults, 
vlst, swiv'l'st, levTst, rev'l'st. 

Thou rev'l'st while dear ones at home are wee})ino; 

and starving. 
viz, hovels, grovels, travels. 

Visit hovels, and contemplate human miser3^ 



60 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

vz, hives, groves, sleeves. 

The groves are musical with living hives. 

vst, improv'st, conniv'st, pav'st. 

Thou improv'st thy mind and heart by closely ob- 
serving the beauties of nature. 

znd, impris'n'd, reat-Zn'd, seas'n'd. 

It is only the seas'n'd bark that may safely tempt 
the wave. 

znz, treasons, mizzens, emblazons. 

Treasons, treasons! brood of irreligion! 



61 



CHAPTER IV. 



GESTURE. 

Probably the best definition of g'esture ever given is 
that of Delsakte: ' 'Gesture is the manifestation of 
the being through the activities of the body. '' Accept- 
ing this definition, we acknowledge that Gesture should 
come in answer to the inward impulse, or motive, and 
should be an outward expression of that mc^tive or 
emotion . 

The student that would rest satisfied with mastering 
a number of formal Gestures, expressive of different 
meanings, would fail to grasp the correct idea of 
gesture. The Gesture must portray some emotion ex- 
isting in the being. If the emotion within does not 
move the speaker to action, he is soulless and all the 
grace of a Roscius would not make a good speaker 
of him. There is, no doubt, such a thing as the culti- 
vation of those emotions, those impulses to action. 
The training of the soul in virtue, and of the mind in 
the arts and sciences, tends to develop in man keener 
})erception and stronger emotions. The better our 
lives are the quicker do we shriidv from evil; the more 
thorough our education is, the more easily do we dis- 
tinguish between truth and fa sehood. It may be no- 
ticed that artists, owing to to their refined sensibilities. 



62 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAl" AND PHYSICAL. 

are more sensitive than others. They have unconsciously 
developed this sensitive nature by close application to 
the niceties and fine points of their art. 

However the development of the emotions in man is 
not the chief a.im of elocution. Elocution's task is to 
teach the correct, and therefore, the artistic portrayal 
of the emotions. 

Professor Brown, in his"Philosophy of Expression," 
says: ''A single caution should he whimpered in the ear 
of the earnest student of technical gesture. We put 
our suggestions in two apothegms: I. (7o7i.s*ciou.S' tech- 
nique kills expression. li. A gesture i:)ut on is a 
grimace. It has no art-expression." 

Naturalness in gesture is only present when self is 
suppressed and the inward emotion spurs us on to ac- 
tion. Before you will be able to express the emotions 
of the soul correctly, you nuist become as the child, 
without self-consciousness. What is truer to nature, 
and at the same time more graceful than the little child! 
It manifests artlessly, and, yet, artistically, the emotions 
it feels. In applying ourselves to the study of oesture, 
we should copy this model: for here nature speaks 
untrammeled by art. He that is always straining after 
effect, will lose in the impression he would make. We 
must relax, not strain. We must learn to suppress 
self, and let the inward emotion give the impulse 
to action . 

A course in the Relaxation of tlie different muscles of 
the body is, therefore, highly necessary in order to fft 
us for portraying the emotions. By Relaxation is 
meant the taking of the will power away from the mus- 
cles and allowing the limb to hang as if dead. We try 
by this means to get rid of self-consciousness in the 



GESTURE. 63 

muscles, in order to let nature take its place. In other 
words, it is the relaxation of that tension which opposes 
natural orace of motion. By practice of the exercises 
in relaxation g-iven below, the student will invigorate 
the muscles, and free the joints of the body so that 
each part of it will be not only free, but titted to give 
the most exact response to the promptings of the inner 
man. These exercises are based on the laws laid down 
by Francois Delsarte, the great Catholic philosopher of 
expression. We do not give all that might be given; 
but exercises for the other muscles of the body will 
suggest themselves to the earnest student. Be not 
backward in practicing them, for relaxation, far from 
producing an artificial mode of expression, enhances it 
vastly by giving the speaker a body fitted and eager to 
portray the inmost emotions of the soul spontaneously 
and harmoniously. Diligent practice of the following 
Plxcrcises will tend to remove all awkwardness . 



EXERCISES IN RELAXATION. 



Legs. 



Stand with weight of body on right foot. Withdraw 
energy from the muscles of the left leg and swing it by 
a rotary movement of the upper body. Change to left 
foot and go through same motion with right. Practice 
each of the movements given for about thirty seconds. 
Energize from hip to knee-joint and raise the leg having 
lower part relaxed, or decomposed. Drop the leg as if 
lifeless . 



64 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Torso. 

Stand in Fourt'i Attitude. Wit(idraw energy from 
the neck muscles and let the head drop to the breast. 
Withdraw energy from the torso, or waist, and drop 
the trunk forward as far as it will go. Swing the re- 
laxed part in a rotary motion, the ener ;y coming from 
the lower limbs. 



Neck- 



Decompose the neck and allow the head to drop for- 
ward. Raise and allow it to drop as if lifeless to the 
right and to the left sid(>s and backward. By move- 
ments of the bod}^ cause the head to rotate. You must 
be careful not to carry the head to these diiferent di- 
rections. Incline the body that way and let the head 
diop to its place. -^ 



Arms. 



Raise the arms from the side toward each other till the 
fingers touch above the head. Withdraw will-power 
from the muscles and allow them to drop. Raise ihe 
arms in front and when the hands point to the zenith 
drop lifelessly as before. De-energize arm'from shoul- 
der down, and sway the body causing arm to swin^ 
loosely in all directions. Raise arm from shoulder, 
bend elbow, causing fore-nrm to hang at right angle 
to upper arm, de-energize fore-arm and shake up and 
down. 



GESTURE. 05 

Eand and Wrist. 

G-rMsp the right hand firmly with the left, placing left 
thumb on palm of right hand and the fingers of left 
hand on back of right. Decompose fingers of right hand 
and shake vigorously with the left. Exercise the fin- 
gers of left hand in the same manner. Withdraw the 
energy from the right hand and, with palm toward the 
floor, shake up and down by means of the fore-arm mus- 
cles. Hold the hand with the side to the floor. Shake 
on the wrist as before. Hold it with the palm upward 
and shake. Put the left hand through the same relax- 
ing exercises . 

These exercises should be practiced daily, devoting 
about fifteen minutes of each class hour to the purpose 
for a number of days, until the limbs and joints are 
under the perfect control of the will. Then the out- 
ward expression of the difl'erent emotions will be ready 
to be artistically produced. It will no longer be me- 
chanical expression, but nature speaking through the 
unobstructed channels of action. This is true art in 
oratory as defined by the great American, Daniel 
Webster, when speaking of the eloquence of action: 
"It comes, if it come at all, like the outbreaking of a 
fountain from the earth, or the bursting forth of vol- 
canic fires, with spontaneous, original, native force. " 



(')() ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 



CHAPTER V. 



FORCE. 

Force is the degree of power used in the production of 
tone. Stress is the application of force. 

E very-day experience shows that ditfereut seDtimeiits 
require a different use of Force. Dr. Kush, in his ad- 
mirable work on the human voice, speaking on this 
mutter, says: "Secrecy muffles itself against dis- 
covery by a whisper; and doubt, while leaning toward 
a positive declaration, cunningly subdues his voice, 
that the impression of his possible error may be least 
exciting and durable. Certainty, on the other hand, in 
the conhdent desire to be heard, is positive, distinct, 
and forcible. Anger dechires itself with ener^fy, be- 
cause its charges and denials are niade with a wide 
appeal, and in its own sincerity of conviction. A like 
degree of force is employed for passions congenial with 
anger; as hate, ferocity, revenge. All thoughts unbe- 
coming or disgraceful, smother the voice, with a desire 
to conceal even the voluntary utterance of them. Joy 
calls aloud for companionship in the overflowing charity 
of its satisfaction. Bodily pain, fear and terror, are 
also forcible in their expression; with the double inten- 
tion, of summoning relief, and repelling the off'endiiig 
cause when it is a sentient being." 



FORCE. r> i 

In treating Force, we must consider first, the mode 
of exerting it, or Form, and second, tiie amount of 
iorce which we employ* or Degree, 



FORM. 



The form of force may be Effusive. Expulsive, or 
Explosive. 

The Effusive Form manifests itself by a smooth tlow 
of sound, avoiding all abrupt and sudden utterance. 
As an example from nature we adduce the moaning of 
the wind. 

It is principally used in giving expression to pathos^ 
aive, reverence^ repose. 

Examples. 

From The Lost Chord. 

I do not know wliat I was playing, 
Or what I was dreaming then: 
But I struck one cliord of music. 
Like the sound of a great Amen. 

I liave sought, but I seek it vainh% 
That one lost chord divine, 
Which came from the soul of the organ, 
And entered into mine. 

It may be that Death's bright angel 
Will speak in that chord again, 
It may be that only in Heaven 
I shall hear that grand Amen. 

Adelaide A. Frocter. 



^'S ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND I'lIYSICAL. 
From Hamlet. Act IIL 

To be, or not to be,— that is the question : 
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind, to suffer 
The slings and arrows ot outrageous fortune, 
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, 
And by opposing end them':' 

From At Peace. 

Clasp close the wearied hands. O Rest! 
Poor hands, so thin and feeble grown 
With all the tasli which they have done; 
JSTow they are finished, everyone. 

O happy Rest, 
Fold them at last from laboring, 
In quiet on the quiet breast, 

O Rest, sweet Rest! 

Press close unto her heart, O Death! 
So close, not any pulse may stir 
The garments of her sepulchre; 
Lo, life hath been so sad to her! 

O kindest Death, 
Within thy safest sheltering 
Nor pain nor sorrow entereth— 
O Death, sweet Death ! 

Imi Coolbrith. 

From In +he Dozy Hours. 

If only we could forget the old, beloved books, and "read 
'era newl" With many this is not possible, for the impression 
wliich they make is too vivid to be obliterated, or even soft- 
ened, by time. We may re-read them if we clioose. We do 
re-read them often, for the sake of lingering repeatedly over 
each familiar page, but we can neve' "read 'em new." The 



FORCE. CO 

thrill of anticipation, the joyous pursuit, the sustained in- 
terest, the final satisfaction, — all these sensations of delight 
belong to our earliest ac/:iuaintance with literature. They 
are part of the sunshine which gilds the halcyon days of 
youth. 

But other books t!iey be,— and it is well for us that this is 
so,— whose tranquil mission is to soothe our grayer years. 
These faithful comrades are the "bedside" friends whom 
Thackeray loved, to whom he returned night after night 
in the dozy hours, and in whose generous companion ^,hip ho 
found respite from the fretful cares of day. — Aynes Btpplier. 

The Expulsive rorm of voice is that in w^hi-'h the 
sound is emitted as in conversation, not 8mooth-ii;)wi]ig 
but suddenly and quickly. In nature the ex[)ulsive 
sound is heard in the o-urgliug- waters of a brook pas- 
sing over some slight ol^sructions or in the chattei-iug 
of a flock of birds. It is a msdian between the effusive 
and the explosive, and hence we find it used in all ordi- 
nary speech, such as clescriptice and colloquial hrnjuage. 



Examples. ■ 
From Othello. Ad II, 

Ifujo. What, are you liurt. lieutenant? 

Cassio. Ay, past all surgerv. 

lago. Marry, heaven b .bid! 

Cas. Reputation, reputation, reputation! O!lhavelo't 
my reputation. I have lost th3 immortal part of myself, and 
what remains is bestial.— M\, reputation, lago, my reputa- 
tion! 

lago. As I am an honest man, I thought you liad receiv- 
ed some bodily wound; there is more oifence in tliat, than in 
reputation. Reputation is an idle and most false imposition, 
oft got witliout merit, and lost without deserving; j^ou have 



YO ELEMENTS OF EXrRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

lost no reputation at all, unless you repute yourself such a 
loser. What, man! there are ways to recover the general 
again ; you are but now cast in his mood, a punishment more 
in policy than in malice; even so as one would beat his 
otfenceless dog, to affright an imperious lion. Sue to him 
again, and he's youvs.—Shakespeare., 



From The Army of the Lord. 



Where sin and crime are dwelling, hid from the light of day, 
And life and hope are failing at Death's cold touch away. 
Where dying eyes in horror see the long forgotten past; 
Christ's servants claim the sinner, and gain his soul at last. 
Where the rich and proud and mighty G-od's message would 
In warning and reproof His anointed ones stand by ; [defy, 
Bright are the crowns of glory God l^eepeth for His own, 
Their life one sigh for heaven, their aim His will alone. 

Adelaide A. Procter. 



From Hamlet. Act III. 



Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, 
trippingly on the tongue ; but if you mouth it, as many of 
your players do, I had as lief the town-crier spoke my lines. 
ISor do not saw the air too much with your hand, thus : but 
use all gently : for in the very torrent, tempc ;t, and (as I 
might say) whirlwind of passion, you must acquire and beget 
a temperance, that may give it smoothness. O! it offends me 
to the soul, to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a 
passion totabters, to very rags, to split the earsof tlie ground- 
lings; who, for the most part, are capable of nothing but in- 
explicable dumb shows and noise; I would have such a fellow 
whipped for o'er-doing Termagant; it out-herods Herod ; pray 
you avoid it. — IShakespeare. 



FORCE. 71 

From The Flag and the Cross. 

Lift up the flag, yes, set it high beside yon gleaming Cross, 
Close to the standard of the cause that never shall know loss. 
Lift prifising voice, lift pleading hand, the world must hear 

and see 
The soldiers of the Cross of Christ most loyal, dear flag, to 

thee. 
But wherefore speak of loyalty? Wlio fears a watching 

wo lid V 
When have we flinched or fled from thee since first thou wert 

unfurled? 
Carroll and Moylan spoke for us, and Barry on the seas. 
And a third of thy sturdy cradle guard— no Arnold among 

these. 
And yet they call us Aliens, and yet they doubt our faith— 
The men who stood not with our hosts when test of faith was 

death: 
Who never shed a drop of blood when ours was shed like rain, 
Tliat not a star should fall from thee nor thy great glory 
wane. 

Eleanor 0^ Grady. 

The Explosive Form is illustrated in nature by the 
boom of a cannon, the clang of the smith's hammer and 
the clapping of hands. In this form ot: voice the sound 
is emitted with great abruptness. It is most commonly 
used to express extreme joy ^ hate, defiance, anger, terror. 

Exam pies » 

Hail, St. Gabriel! haill a tliousand hails 

For thine whose music still prevails 

In the world's listening earl 

Angelic Word ! send forth to tell 

How the Eternal Word should dwell 

Amid IHs creatures herel Father Faher. 



72 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AKD PHYSICAL. 

From The Prince's Progress. 

"Up, up,"'. called the watchman lark, 

In his clear reveillee; "Hearken, O hark! 

Press to the high goal, fly to the mark. • 

Up, O sluggard, new morn is born ; 
If still asleep when the night falls dark, 

Thou must wait a second morn. 

"Up, up, up," sad glad voices swelled: 
"So the tree falls and lies as it's felled. 
Be thy hand loosed, O sleeper, long held 
In sweet sleep whose end is not sweet." 

C. G. Eossetti. 

From Merchant of Venice. Act IIL 

Shylock. How now. Tubal? what news from Genoa? hasi 
thou found my daughter? 

Tubal. I oft came where I did hear of her, but cannot tind 
her. 

."ihi/. Why there, there, there, there! a diamond gone, cost 
me I wo thousand ducabs in Frankfort. — No ill luck stirring, 
i)ut what light's o' my shoulders: no sighs but o' my breath- 
ing; no tears but o' my shedding. 

Tub. Yes, other men have ill luck too. Antonio, as I 
heard in Genoa — 

Shy. What, what, what? ill luck? 

Tub. —hath an argosy cast away coming from Tripolis? ' 

^7(.^. 1 thank God! I thank God! Is it true?- is it true? 

Tub. I spoke with some of the sailors that escaped the 
wreck. 

Shy. I thank the, good Tubal.— Good news, good news! 
ha! ha! — Sliakesptare. 

From Othello. Act I. 

0/Mo. Holla! stand there! 

liodcrigo. Signer, it is the Moor. 

Brdbantio. Down wit h him, thief! 

0th. K^eep up your bright swords, for tlie dew will rust 
them.— Good signor, you shall more command with years 
than with your weapons. — Shakespeare. 



roKCE. 73 

DEGREE. 

Degree, for practical purposes, may be divided into 
Subdued, Moderate, Energetic, Impassioned. 

Peaceful, sad, and tender emotions are correctly ren- 
dered in the Subdued Force. 

Examples. 

From The Third Dolor. 

Three days she seeks her child in vain; 
He Who vouchsafes that holy woe 
And makes the gates of glory pain, 
He, He alone its depths can know. 

She wears the garment He must wear, 
She tastes His Chalice! From a cross 

Unseen she cries, Where art thou, where? 

'Vhy hast thou me forsaken thus? 

With feebler hand she touches first 
That sharpest thorn in all His Crown 
Worse than the Nails, the Reed, the Thirst, 
Seeming Desertion's icy frown? 

Aubrey De Vere. 

From The Grave. 

The Grave, it is deep and soundless, 
And canopied over with clouds; 
And trackless and dim and boundless 
Is the Unknown Land that it shrouds. 



74 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION. VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Yet everywhere else shall mortals 
For peace unavallingly roam: 
Except through the Shadowy Portals 
Goeth none to his genuine home! 

And the heart that Tempest and Sorrow 
Have beaten against for years, 
Must look for a sunnier morrow 
Beyond this Temple of Tears. 

/. C. 3£angan. 

From In Memory of His Friend. 

A shadow slept folded In vestments, 

The dream of a smile on his face. 

Dim, soft as the gleam alt if sunset 

That hangs like a halo of grace 

Where the dayiigiit hath died in the valley, 

And the twilight hath taken its place— 

A shadow! but still on the mortal 

There rested the tremulous trace 

Of the joy of a spirit immortal, 

Passed up to its Grod in His grace. 

A shadow! hast seen in the summer 

A cloud wear the smile of the sunV 

On the shadow of death there is flashing 

The glory of noble deeds done: 

On the face of the dead there is glowing 

The light of a holy race run; 

And the smile of the face is reflecting, 

The gleam of the crown he has won. 

Father By an. 

From South Sea Idyls. 

T shall never see little Joe again, with his pitiful face, 
growing gradually as dreadful as a cobra's, and almost as 
fascinr.ting in its hideousness. I waited, a little way off in 
the darkness, waited and listened, till the last song was 



FORCE. T5 

ended, and I knew he would be looking for me to say good 
night. But he did not find me, and he will never again find 
me in this life, for I left him sitting in the dark door of his 
sepulchre— sitting and singing in the mouth of his grave- 
clothed all in De-dth.— Charles Warren Stoddard. 



The Moderate differs oniy in a slight deo:ree from the 
Subdued. It is coniiiionlj used in conversation and un- 
excited sjoeech. 

Examples. 
From Julius Caesar. Act IV. 



Brutus. Sheathe your dagger. 

Be angry when you will, it shall have scope: 
Do what you will, dishonor shall be humor 
O CassiusI you are yoked with a lamb, 
That carries anger as the flint bears fire. 
Who, much inforced, shows a hasty spark, 
And straight is cold again. 

Shakespeare. 



From Down at Caxton's. 

Things great and grand must be left unto that day when 
-the poet, untrammelled by worldly care, shall write his 
heart's dream. It the time ever comes, the poet learns in 
sorrow that his dreams will never float into human speech, 
for the hand has lost its cunning. So the days of youth and 
manhood pass, blowing bubble-, or decorating platitudes. 
Death snatches the poetling, and oblivion is his coverlid. 
The song he sang died with the rabble. The new generation 
asked for a poet that could drill into the human heart and 
bring forth its secrets— a listener to nature, her interpreter 
toman. — Walter Lecky. 



76 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND TIIYSICAL 
From A Retrospect. 

I, trusting that the truly sweet 

Would still be sweetly found the ti'ue, 
Sang, darkling, fcaught by heavenly heat 

Son::^s which were wiser than I knew. 
To the unintelligible dream 

That melted like a gliding star, 
I said : 'We part to meet fair Grleam! 

You are eternal, for you are.^ 
To Love's strange rlddl^, fiery writ 

In flesh and spirit of all create, 
'Mocker,' 1 said, 'of mortal wit, 

x.ie you snail not mock. 1 can wait.' 

Coventry Faiinorr. 



From The Garden That I Love. 



I have no desire to invent anything, but only to preserve 
nd perpetuate those things wuich have long been found 
good. The society of days gone by is the most friendly and 
congenial of all forms of companionship, for one peoples and 
composes it according to the humour of one's imagination. I 
have never been able to understand why, seeing that one's 
mother is the most sacred of all human figures, people's 
grandmothers should have become a theme for poor and pro- 
fane wit. G-randmothers, great-grandmothers, great-great- 
grandmothers, I know, and delight in knowing, had sat in the 
ingle-nooks of what I that day resolved should be my home : 
all comely, all with spotless lace caps and cuffs and 'kerchiefs, 
all kindly, all deferred to, all the real guardian angels of the 
]11ace. — Alfred Austin. 



The Energetic is used in patriotic^ bold and graild 
sentiments. 



FORCE. . H 

■ Examples. 
From King Lear. Act IV. 

'Edgar. Draw tliy sword; 
That if my speech offend a noble heart 
Thy arm might do thee justice: here is mine. 
Behold it is the privilege of mino honours, 
My oath, and my profession: I protest.— 
Maugre thy strength, youth, place, and eminence. 
Despite thy victor sward, and fire-new fortune. 
Thy valor and thy heart,— thou art a traitor: 
False to thy gods, thy brother, and thy father; 
Conspirant 'gainst this high illustrious prince; 
And from the extremest npward of thy head, 
To the descent and dust beneath thy feet, 
A most toad-spotted traitor. Say thou, No, 
This sword, this arm. and my best spirits, are bent 
To prove upon thy heart, whereto I speak. 
Thou liest. 

Shak€S2)eare. 

From The Irish Disturbance Bill. 

If ever I doubted before of the success of our agitation for 
repeal, this bill, this infamous bill, the way it bas been re- 
ceived by the House, the manner in which its opponents have 
been treated, th^ personalities to which they have been sub- 
jected, the yells with which one of them has this night been 
greeted— all these things dissipate my doubts, and tell mo of 
its complete and early triMmph Do you think those yells 
will be forgotten? Do you supp.se their echo will nf)t reach 
the plains of my injured and insulted country; tliat they will 
not be whispered in her green valleys, and hejird from lier 
lofty hills? Ohl they will be heard there! Yes and they will 
not be forgotten. The youth of Ireland will bound with in- 
dignation; they will say, ''We are eight millions; and you 
treat us thus, as though we were no m:,re to y.-ur country 
than the isle of Guernsey or of Jersey [—Daniel O'ConneJl. 



78 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 
From An Address to the American. Catholic Congress. 

The shadow of an imposing event begins to move. The 
people of the United States, and of the hemisphere are about 
to celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery 
of America. We heartily rejoice in this resolve. That tre- 
mendous event, that with reverence I may say the second 
creation, the finding of a new world, and the vast results that 
have flowed to humanity, can be traced directly to the Catho- 
lic Church and the Eoman Catholic Church alone. Protest- 
antism was unknown when America was discovered. Let the 
students and the scholars search the archives of Spain, and 
the libraries of Europe, and the deeper the search the more 
glory will adorn the brow of Catholicity. It was a pious 
Catholic who conceived the mighty thought. It was when 
foot-sore and down-hearted at the porch of a monastery that 
hope dawned on him. It was a monk who tirst encouraged 
him. It was a Cardinal who interceded with the sovereigns 
of Spain. It was a Catholic King who fitted out the ships. 
It was a Catholic Queen who oifered her jewels as a pledge. 
It was the Catholic Columbus and a Catholic crew that sailed 
out upon an unknown sea where ship had never sailed before. 
It was to spread the Catholic faith that the sublime risk was 
run. Ifc was tiie prayer to the Blessed Mother that each 
night closed the perils of the day and inspired the hopes of 
the morrow. It was the Holy Cross, the emblem of Catholici- 
ty, that was carried to the shore and planted on the newfound 
world. It was the Sacrifice of the Mass that was the tirst, 
and for a hundred years, the only Christian offering upon this 
virgin land. — Daniel Dougherty. 

The gryitest degree of force, the Impassioned, is 
used in extremes of vehemence, terror^ and the fiercer 
'passions^ also in calling or shouting. 

Examjoles. 

From Julius Cassar. Act I. 

And do you now put on your best attire? 
And do you now cull out a holiday? 



FOKCE. 79 

Aod do you now strew flowers in his way 
That comes in triumph over Pompey's blood? 
Be gone! 

Kun to your houses, fall upon your knees, 
Pray to fche gods to intermit the plague 
That needs must light on this ingratitude. 

Shakespeare. 



From Merehant of Venice. Act III. 



I'll have my bond ; I will not hear thee speak: 

I'll have my bond, and therefore speak no more. 

I'll not be made a soft and dull-ey'd fool, 

To shake the head, relent, and sigh, and yield 

To Christian intercessors. Follow not ; 

I'll have no speaking: I will have my bond. 

Shakespeare. 



From Macbeth. Act III. 

Avauntl and quio my sight. Let the earth hide thee! 
Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; 
Thou hast no speculation in those eyes. 
Which thou dost glare with. 

Shakespeare. 



From The Hidden Gem. Act I. 



Bibulus. Farewell, sycophant! farewell, indeed? No, not 
yet.— There shall be moaning over death in this house before 
I go to encounter it. After this cruel doom, who will blame 
me if I seek to escape if?— Yet here again comes the question 
who is doing this? Proculus. Then ought not my vengeance 
to fall on himf 

Warily, calmly— let us wei jli this.— CarcUnal Wiseman. 



80 ELEMENTS OE EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Force must be applied judiciously. In a large hall, 
care must be taken that sentences spoken in subdued 
force are audible to the entire audience. In this mat- 
ter, there may ]be three diffiuulties to overcome. First, 
the size ot the hall, second, the defective acoustics, and 
third, the presence of a large audience. In any of these 
three cases an increase of force is necessary. Besides 
this, you may aid yourself greatly by S[ caking more 
slowly and articulating more distinctly. Never allow 
the pitch of voice to increase to a shout, unless some 
particular passage denjands it. Speak to those that are 
farthest from you. In this way the sound will be pro- 
jected, and by not shouting you will avoid, dii-gusting 
those closest to you. A person adapting his force to 
the surroundings can pronounce the strongest of invec- 
tives in a parlor without offending any one. 

Another tendency to error in force, which you must 
avoid, is inutation. Do not think that because some 
ideal of yours brings out a passage in thunder tones, 
that you must do the sanrj or fail entirely. Your voice 
may be inadequate to the effort. Ape no man. Use 
your own scale; bestow your force, so that there is a 
reserve power left to you, and be content. The most 
vociferous is by no means the best or the most appreci- 
ated. :liveryone is acquainted with the iact that the 
empty Avagon rumbk- most. 

■ In order to strengthen your force so that you may be 
heard well in any ordinary assembly, practice daily in 
the middle pitch on some energetic pa "ages. Avoid 
rasping sounds, use the pure tone, and be careful not 
to rise in pitch. Strengthening the foundation, the 
middle pitch, will strengthen your voice along the 
whole rano:e. 



n 



FORCE. 81 

GENERAL EXAMPLES. 

From The Giant Raft. 

"I will tell you nothing, " returned Torres: "Joam Dacosta 
declined my propositions ! He refused to admit me into his 
family! Well ! now that his secret is known, now that he is a 
prisoner, it is I who refuse to enter his family, the family of 
a thief, of a murderer, of a condemned felon, for whom the 
gallows now waits !" 

"Scoundrel!" exclaimed Benito, who drew his manchetta 
from his belt and put himself in position. 

Manoel and Fragoso, by a similar movement, quickly drew 
their weapons. 

"Three against one!" said Torres. 

"Is'o! one against one!'' answered Benito. 

"Eeally! I should .have thought an assassination would 
nave better suited an assassin's son!" 

"Torres!" exclaimed Benito, "defend yourself, or I will kill 
you like a mad dog!" 

"Mad! so be it ! "answered Torres, "but I bite, Benito Da- 
costa, and beware of the wounds!" — Jules Verne. 

From The Cross and the Crescent. 

Brave Tancred! thy courage will win thee success — 
The hopeful in spirit sweet heaven will bless ; 
The Christian shall triumph the cross shall prevail— 
God wills it! God wills it! His word cannot fail. 
- He wills the blest triumph of right over wrong. 
He wills that the just in the strife shall be strong; 
Though the clouds may be dark, yet His light can shine 

through — 
God wills it! God wills it ! His promise is true! 
'Tis to chasten, to humble. He sendeth delay- 
Though the journey be long, shall we faint by the way? 
!No! onward and upward, with hearts strong and pure! 
Gcd wills it! God wills it! His word shall endure I 

Harriet M. SMdmore. 



82 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 
From A Mother's Sacrifice. 

"Think of these things when you remember my perfidy, hut 
more than all"— his voice sank to a deep, low tender tone, as 
if the swell of feelings which had grown with every word, 
had obtained now complete mastery — "remember it was a 
woman's holy pleadings with another — her devotion, so like 
Heaven's own love in its pure disinterestedness; her unswerv- 
ing loyalty to the teachings of her faith ; her complete sacri- 
fice of self, which brought to me at last the strength to do 
right; — that caused desperate struggles in my soul, that fre- 
quently made a confession spring almost to my very lips, 
and that brought back the memory of my mother, and the 
religious practices of my childhood as they had been brought 
back never before. 

"In my future of voluntary penance, the thought lljat you 
both have fully pardoned, have even perchance sometimes 
kind memories of me, will be a nucleus ab.out which to gather 
the prayers and deeds of the remainder of my life." 

Christine Fahsr. 

From Callista. 

"My dear uncle," said Agellius, " I give you my solemn 
word, that the people whom yoa so- detest do pray for the 
welfare of the imperial power continually, as a matter @f 
duty and as a matter of interest." 

"Pray! prayl fudge and nonsense 1" cried Jucundus, almost 
mimicking him in his indignation; "pray! who thanks you 
for your prayers? what's the good of prayers? Prayers indeed! 
ha, ha ! A little loyalty is worth all the praying in the world. 
I'll tell you what, Agellius; you are, 1 am sorry to say it, you 
are hand and glove with a set of traitors, who shall and will 
be smoked out like a nest of wasps. You don't know; you 
are not in the secret, nor the wretched slave, poor beast, who 
was pulled to pieces yesterday ab the Flamen's, nor a multi- 
tude of other idiots. But, d'ye see,^' and he chucked up his 
head significantly, "there are puppets, and there are wires. 
Few know what is going on. They won't have done (unless 
we put them down; but we will) till they have toppled down 
the state. But Rome will pub them down. — Nevy.uan. 



FORCE. bu 

From Rosemary. 

''Kose?" he said at last in a deep and awful wbisper. 

She was not prepared for his speaking. She knew that he 
liad not spoken for months. She drew near and took his 
hand, saying: "Grandpapa I" 

"Has a spirit such soft hands?'' said grandpapa tremu- 
lously. 

"It is not a spirit — it is your Eosemary herself," said the 
girl in a soothing voice ; and bending down kissed him. 

"Stand back — stand in the light!" said grandpapa, rising 
on one elbow with astonishing vigor, "You were to have 
been married?" he said, glancing at her dress. "Have you 
just risen from the grave? Did you lie six months in that 
gloomy vault? Once I heard your voice there. Is this too a 
strong hallucination?" 

The old .man sank back on his pillow and gazed at her wild- 
ly: — "Phantom! Begone!"— in a terrible voice. 

"It is I, your very Rosemary" said the girl. "It was my 
voice you heard in the vault— dear grandpapa.— J. V, Hurd- 
ingion. 

. From The Iflerchant of Antwerp. 

"Ah! dear Papa. The happy time has come! See the young 
peas are already in flower. You love them so much! The 
first are for you. They will be ready to eat in a few days. 
Then new potatoes will soon follow. ISTew potatoes, green 
peas, fresh butter— what a feast it will be. How kind it is in 
our good Lord, papa, to make the first fruits of earth, which 
are given to rich and poor, so delicious." 

These artless remarks of his child's gentle voice touched 
the old man, and restored quiet and reason for a time to liis 
mind. 

He stopped, took his daughter's hands,looked into her eyes, 
and said very gravely : 

"How pure your heart is, how sincere your love! You 
w\atch over your father's troubled spirit like a guardian 
angel. You sacrifice for him not only your inclinations, but 
your youth, your future, your life. Yes, I know it. It is not 



84: ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

always within— Alas! I am powerless, fortune has deserted 
me; but this is nothing, Felicite. 

There is one in heaven who pays the debts of fathers to 
children. Yes, yes my noble and generous child, believe 
your father's words : some day, you will be happy ; for God is 
'ust and forgets nothingV'—Hendrick Conscience. 



From The Confederate Chieftains. 

"Chieftain of Uriel," said he, "be not cast down with 
mournful recollections — there is still hope for your brother, 
and even were there none, you have cause to rejoice in that 
the first sacrifice of propitiation was demanded and accepted 
from your noble and ever faithful house." 

"Alas! Colonel," replied the chief sadly, "you speak as ont 
who never had a brother — you know not, cannot know how I 
loved that light hearted brother of mine, and oh God! to 
think what torments he hath undergone since last' mine eyes 
beheld him — had .he fallen in honorable warfare, ay! though 
it were but in the Spanish wars, methinks I could resign him 
into the hands of Providence without a sigh, but this living 
death to which he is doomed — nay, talk not to me of being 
resigned,— I can not, will not be resigned while my brother 
languishes in a noisome vault of Dublin Castle. Oh! the 
heavy, heavy sorrow." 

"Heavy it may be, Art," said the princely O'Rourke with 
a deep-drawn sigh, "but— but the load is not all your own to 
carry — others have had brothers — oh, how dear! and lost 
them, too, since this war began"— Jifrs. /. Sadlier. 



85 



CHAPTER VI. 



DELSARTES LAWS OF GESTURE. 

Having familiarized ourselves with the l)odily agents 
of expression, we proceed to the laws governing them. 
We give here the Laws of Delsarte on the subject. 

Law of Succession. 

<<Let your attitude, gesture, and face foretell what 
you would make felt.*' 

In other woi'ds, faci?il expression and gesture should 
precede speech. The expression begins at the eye, com- 
municates itself to the face, and then pjisses to the re-t 
of the body, successively throwing into motion each ar- 
ticulation as it passes down. For instance, along the 
arm it would start with the shoulder and upp-r arn). 
then follow the elbow and lower ;irm, lastly wrist, hand, 
and fingers. As y, proof that this is the law of nature. 
we refer you to the child Observe it and you will see 
that on its face is mirrored the pleasure, pain, anger, 
etc., which stirs it, before it gives those emotions voice. 
The little face often assumes lines of pain, long before 
the voice has given evidence of grief. 



86 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 
Law of Opposition. 

<<When two limbs follow the same direction, they can 
not be simultaneociS without an injury to the law of 
opposition. Therefore, direct movements sho*5ld be suc- 
cessive, and opposite movements simultaneous." 

In Older to make the law more intelligible we place 
it thus: 

I. Opposite movements should be simultaneous; 

II. Parallel movements should be successive. 

A,^ an example of the I. , suppose something repulsive 
to be situated to the right oblique of the speaker. In 
making a o-esiure to show hh feeling of disgust towird 
the object, he would move the head to the loft, and with 
the right hand make a movement as if to push it away 
from him. The movement of both head and hand 
should be -iimuitaneous. An illustration of the II. part 
of the law m-iy be seen in the salutation of two friends. 
The body bends forward and thon only the hand is ex- 
tended for the other's grasp. Care should be t::ken that 
these laws be followed or awkward movements A\'ill en- 
sue. 

Law of Duration. 

This l>^w cautions us against multiplying gesture. 
But one gesture is necessary for the expression of a 
single thought. This gesture should be held till the 
thought is completed. Notice, we do not affirm that it 
must be held till the sentence is completed. There may 
be many modifications of the thought contained in a 
sentence. Until a new impression dawns upon us, the 
gesture must not be changed. 



87 
Law of Velocity. 

<<The rhythm of gesture is proportional to the mass to 
be moved. ^' 

Interpreting this we have: The velocity of the gesture 
should be proportionate to the thought or emotion. 
Hence grandeur demands gestures of majestic dimen- 
sions. In this law, gesture follows nature as seen in the 
swinging of a pendulum. If a pendidum is set so that 
it svrings only a short distance, the motion will be 
cjuick; place it lower on the rod, and permit it to swing 
with a large sweep, and the motion is slotu. Take the 
following example from Pope, and notice the change 
in the velocity of gesture. 

When Ajax strives some rock's vast weight to throw, 

The line too labors and tlie words move slow. 

^ot so when swift Camilla scours the plain, 

Flies o'er the unbending corn and skims along the main. 

Law of Altitude. 

Positiveness rises, hesitancy descends. If you are 
absolutely certain of your assertion, the arm will be 
carried straight toward the zenith in testifying to it. If 
you make an assertion with hesitancy, the gesture will 
not proceed above the shoulder line. The more doubt- 
ful you are, the lower is the ahitude of the gesture. 
Try the L:iw of Altitude on the following sentences. 

PossmiLiTr. He may be false. 

Assertion. I believe him false. 

Certainty. I have evidence proving him false. 

Absolute Certainty. I swear that he is false. 



88 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Ill pronouncing these sentences, the first and second 
call for gestures of ditferent altitudes below the shoul- 
der line. The tliird is made above the shoulder line; 
the last points straioht to the zenith. 

Law of Force. 

< 'Conscious strength assumes weak attitudes. Con- 
scious weakness assumes strong attitudes.*' 

The broad base is the physically strong attitude. 
This may be noticed in the child just learning to walk. 
Its legs are spread wide to steady it in moving along. 
Observe, the broad base is used also by one who has 
imbibed too freely. In order to keep from falling, he 
assumes this, the physically strong attitude. It is this 
attitude, likewise, which conscious weakness will assume 
in order to have at least the semblance of strength. On 
the other hand conscious strength has nothing to fear, 
and hence relaxes all tension and show of power. This 
relaxation tends to moderate the position. The bully 
will assume broad gesture and position to put on a 
show of power which, of course, he is conscious he does 
not possess. The athlete, confident in his own powers, 
does not need to assume physically strong attitudes, for 
he knows that when the trial comes his strength will 
not be found wanting. Observe these two classes of 
individuals and you will not hesitate as to where the 
strength lies. 

There is a dispute as to how many laws Delsarte 
laid down for gesture. Some of hJs disciples claim 
nine as the number, others six, and others do not 
give any category. Delsarte died before issuing any 



89 

printed matter. Hence we have no means of certify 
ing ourselves as to the number. We take the forego- 
ing to be laws in consonance with nature and appli- 
cable to all gesture. Other laws attributed to him we 
omit, as being unnecessary. 



90 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 



CHAPTER Vil. 



PITCH. 

Pitch is the point, in the gamut of expression, at 
which a tone is uttered. 

We may call the human voi^ce a musical instrument. 
It has, as the piano, three kinds of notes: the hi^h, 
the medium, and the low. Its range is not like that of 
the piano in six or seven octaves, but generally in a 
little less than two. The voice, in delivery, may not be 
used in the higher, middle, or lower registers arbitrari- 
ly, but nmst be confined to that which the nature of the 
sentiment intended to be expressed, demands. In or- 
der, therefore, that the student may learn how to use 
the different pitches of the voice correctly, for like the 
piano the human voice is an instrument we must learn 
to play on, we subjoin rules for his guidance. 

Pitch is divided into High, Middle, and Low tones, 
Of these the most used is the middle. Legouve, in his 
admirable work, "The Art of Reading," says: "The 
middle pitch, in fact, is our ordinary voi(;e, and is 
therefore the best and truest delineator of our truest 
and most natural sentiments. The low notes are not 
without great power; the high notes are occasionally 
brilliant; but to neither should recourse be had fre- 
quently; they should be employed only when certain 



PITCH. 91 

unusual effects are to be produced — that is to say only 
exceptionally and sparingly. As an illustration I 
should compare our high notes to cavalry, whose pe- 
culiar province is to make dashing charges and initiate 
strong attacks; the low notes 1 should compare to the 
artillery, as denoting strength, effort, and the putting 
forth of unusual power; hut the main body of the army, 
its real working strength and spirit, the element on 
which the tactician relies the most and employs the 
oftenest, is the infantry. The mivldle voice is our 
infantry. The chief precept, therefore, which 1 would 
most earnestly impress upon you is this: to the middle 
voice accord the supremacy, tirst, last, and always!" 

In the scale, h ffat beginning below the leger line, 
the four notes, &, c, c?, e, would be the range of the low 
pitch;/, ^, a, 6, c, would be the middle pitch, and d^ e, 
f, g^ above, would be the range of the high pitch. 

High Pitch is used to express buoyant, gay, energetic, 
animated, and impassioned thought, and the height of 
terror. 

Examples. 

From Sweet May. 

The summer is come! — the summer is come ! 

With its flowers and its branches green, 
Where the young birds chirp on the blossoming boughs, 
And t-lie sunlight struggles between. 

D. Florence McCarthy. 

From Othello. Act II. 

Oh God, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to 
steal away their brains! that we should, with joy, pleasure, 
revel, and applause, transform ourselves into beasts. 

kShakespcure. 



92 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 



From Moore. 

Joy to leriie, joy, 

This day a deathless crown is won, 

Her child of song, her glorious son. 

Her minstrel boy 

Attains his century of fame, 

Completes his time-allotted zone 

And proudly with the world's acclaim 

Ascends the lyric throne. 

D. Florence M'Carthy. 



From Tasso's Recovery of Jerusalem. 

Then loud he cries, "Oh what a dust ariseth. 
O, how it shines with shields and targets clear I 
Up, up, to arms, for valiant heart despiseth; 
The threat'ned storm of death, and danger near: 
Behold your foes : then further thus deviseth; 
Plaste, haste, for vain delay increaseth fear, 
These horrid clouds of dust that yonder fly, 
Your coming foes do hide, and hide the sky." 

Translation by E. Fairfax. 

From King Richard II. Act IT. 

Why have those banish'd and forbidden legs 
Dar'd once to touch a dust of England's ground? 
But more than that,— why have they dared to march 
So many miles upon our peaceful bosom, 
Frighting her pale-fac'd villages with war, 
And ostentation of despoiling arms? 

Shakespeare. 



PITCH. y'> 

Middle Pitch is used to express all imimpassioned 
narrative, and description. 

Examples. 
From Hamlet. Act III. 

F^eak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it tj yo-o. 
trippingly on the tongue: but if you mouth It as many of your 
players do, I had as lief the town-crier spoke my lines. ;Nor 
do not saw the air too much with your hand, thus ; but use 
all gently . — Shakespea i -e . 

From Grandmother's Teaching. 

*'G-od neither progresses nor changes, dear, as I once heard 
you rashly say: 

Your schools and philosophies come and go, but His word 
doth not pass away. 

We worship Him here as we did of old, with simple and rev- 
erent rite: 

In the morning we pray Him bo bless our work, to forgive our 
Trangressions at night. 

To keep his commandments, to fear His name, and what 
should be done, to do,— 

That's the beginning of Wisdom still ; I suspect 'tis the end 
of it too." 

Alfred Austhi. 

From Essay on Criticism. 

But see ! each Muse, in Leo's golden days, 
Starts from her trance, and trims her withered bays ; 
Kome's ancient Genius, o'er its ruins spread, 
Shakes off the dust, and rears his reverend head. 
Tlien sculpture and her sister arts revive: 
Stones leaped to form, and rocks began to live; 
With sweeter notes each rising temple rung : 
A Kaphael painted, and a Vida sung. 

Pope. 



94 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Low Pitch is appropriate to sentiments of reverence^ 
solemnity^ grandeur ^ and gravity. 

Examjiles. 

From Julius Csesar, Act II. 

It must be by his death: and for my part, 

I know no personal cause to spurn at him, 

But for the general. He would be crown'd: 

How that might change his nature, there's the question. 

It is the bright day that brings forth the adder. 

And that craves wary walking. Crown him?— that; 

And then, I^ grant, we pub a sting in him, 

That at his will he may do danger with. 

ShaTiespeare. 

From The Pillar Towers of Ireland. 

The pillar towers of Ireland, how wondrously they stand. 
By the lakes and rushing rivers through the valleys of our 

land; 
In mystic file, through the isle, they lift their heads sublime, 
These gray old pillar temples, these conquerors of time ! 

D. F. McCarthy. 



From Omens Presaging the Downfall of Italy. 

Last night, between the hour of twelve and one 
In a lone aisle of the temple while I walked 
A whirlwind rose, that, with a violent blast, 
Shook all the dome. The doors around me clapt; 
The iron wicket, tliat defends the vault 
Where the long race of Ptolemies is laid, 
Burst open and disclosed the mighty dead. 

Dryden. 



PITCH. 95 

From Hamlet. Act L 

GhosL I am tliy father's spirit; 
Doomed for a certain time to wallc tlie niglit, 
And, for the day, confined to fast in fires, 
Till the foul crimes, done in my days of nature. 
Are burn'd and purged away. 

Shakespeare. 

From To Ebert. 

O, Ebert! if all have perished, and under shroud and pall 

Lie still and voiceless in Death's abyss — 
If thou and I be lone and withered survivors of all? 

Art not thou, also, speechless at this? 
Glazes not horror thine eye? Glares 'it not blank without soul? 

So from mine too departed the light, 
When first this harrowing phantom over the purple bowl 

Struck my spirit with thundermight. 
OI in the deptli^of night I saw the death-pageant arise ! 

And, Ebert!— the souls of our friends were there, 
Horrible dream! from which,as in chains,! struggle to waken, 

Terrible as the Judgment-hour 
And as Eternity solemn! My spirit, appalled and shaken, 

Can wrestle no longer against thy power. 

J. G. Mangan. 

Note.— Variations in pitch will be treated under the head of Inflexion. 



GENERAL EXAMPLES. 

From Macbeth. Act V. 

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow. 
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, 
To the last syllable of recorded time ; 
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools 



96 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! 
Life's but a walking shadow ; a poor player, 
That struts and frets his hour upon the sta^^. 
And then is heard no more : it is a tale 
Told by an idiot, full of sound "and fury. 
Signifying nothing. 

Shakespeare. 

From For t!ie People. 

"There's a serf whose chains are of paper; there's a king with 

a parcliment crown, 
There are robber knights and brigands in factory, field and 

town, 
But the vassal pays his tributB to a lord of wage rent ; 
And the baron's toll is Shylocx's, with a flesh and blood per 

cent. 
Ye have shorn and bound the Samson, and robbed him of 

learning's light; 
But his sluggish brain is moving, his si newt have all their 

might. 
Look well to your gates of Gaza, your privilege, pride and 

caste! 
The Gr ant is blind and thinking, and his locks are growing 
• fast." 

/. J. Boche. 



From Dick Sands. 

Whilst he was speaking, Negoro had gradually drawn near- 
er to the prisoner, until their faces were almost, in contact. 
Exasperated by Dick's calmness, his countenance assumed an 
expression of the utmost ferocity, and at last he burst forth 
in a paroxysm of rage. 

"It is my turn now! I am master now ! I am captain here! 
You are in my power ! Your life is in my hands!" 

"Take it then," said Dick quietly; "death has no terrors 
for me, and your wickedness will soon be avenged." 



PITCH. 97 

"Avenged!" roared I^egoro; "do you suppose there is a 
single soul to care about you? Avenged! who will concern 
himself with what befalls you?" 

"Hercules is free," said Dick. 

"Hercules!" sneered Negoro ; "he has been food for lions 
and panthers long ago. I am only sorry that I did not get 
the chance of disposing of him myself." — Jules Verne. 

From A Chouan. 

From the school-porch at Yannes 

Weaponed, the children ran ; 
One little voice began, 

Lark-like ascended: 



'Treason is on the wing. 

Black vows and menacing: 
March, boys! God save the king!' 

Allio ended 

Nay, more:— 'God save king!' 

With a last clarion ring, 
Shot ere he ceased to sing, 

Allio sang it. 

L. I. Guiney. 

From My Clerical Friends. 

-My father was a dignitary of the Church, and not unfre- 
quently had bishops for his guests. Among these was one of 
whom my personal reminiscences are nob cheerful. I am sure 
he had great merits— or how could he have become a bishop? 
— and that it was my own fault if I did not discover them ; 
but the day of his departure from my father's house was al- 
ways to me a festal one. I often detected myself, not with- 
out self reproach, gazing intently upon his face, which really 
had no expression whatever, except that of general approval 
of the world, in which he seemed to feel that he occupied a 



98 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

place not wholly unequal to his merits. He ate a good deal, 
but in a solemn way, and as if he was doing a favor to some- 
body by eating at all. I never saw him in bed, but am 
persuaded that, even in that difficult position, his attitude 
was full of dignity. He is dead now: and I hope he is as 
well satisfied with the other world as he was with this. 

T. W. M. Marshall. 

From Life and Land. 

Lo ! what other shape is this self-poised in upper air, 
With wings like trailing comets, and face darker than de- 
spair? 
See! see! the bright sun sickens into saffron in its shade, 
And tlie poles are shaken at their ends, infected and afraid — 
It is the Spirit of the Plague, and round and round the shore 
It circles on its course, shedding bane forevermore — 
And the slave falls for the tyrant, and the suff'rer for the sin, 
And a wide inhuman desert is, where Ireland has been- 

'T was a vision — 'tis a fable— I did but tell my dream^ 
Yet twice, yea thrice, I saw it, arid still it seemed the same. 
Ah 1 my soul is with the darkness, nightly, daily overcast— 
And I fear me, God permitting, it may fall out true at last, 
(xod permitting, man decreeing! What, and shall man so will, 
And our unsealed lips be silent and our unbound hands be 

still'? 
Oh! countrymen and kindred, make yet another stand, — 
riant your flag upon the common soil — be your motto, 
Life and Land. 

2\ I). JPGee. 

From The Circus Rider's Daughter. 

"Come, come!" called out the director impatiently, leading 
the way to his office. '"Well, what news?" he asked before 
tiie door was closed. 

"Here aresome^letters," said Landolfo, throwing a package 
on the table. 



PITCH. 99 

"But the banker?" asked Karsten excitedly. 

"A severe loss at best. Two thirds at least must go. if noo 
more." 

"What a blow!" cried the director. "What a terrible loss! 
I don't see liow I can meet it. The troupe is doing moder- 
ately well, but tlie expenses this winter have been enor- 
mous." 

Landolfo silently puffed curls of- smoke into the air. 

"Two thirds lost — -that means mini" muttered Karsten. 

"One good season would make it up," replied Landolfo 
quietly. 

"But can I dig a good season out of the ground?" cried the 
director angrily. "That fellow will ruin me; he will leave 
nothing untried." — JIary A. MiichelVs Translation. 



100 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL, 



CHAPTER Vni. 



INFLEXION. 

As in the art of p;uiitiiio^ we find a oround color, or 
basis, on which to hriiio- out the lights and shades, so in 
the art of expression. Every man has a certain pitch of 
voice in whicli he is most agreeable to his hearers and 
most comtortable to himself. This is the ground-tone 
from which he is to build, from which all advancement 
is to be made. We call this pitch the conversational 
tone. The variations from the key-note of this conver- 
sational pitch we call Inflexions. We might then define 
inflexion as: The changes of pitch to suit the senti- 
ment. 

Every piece has a predominating pitch. The judi- 
cious variation from this pitch relieves the voice from 
an incessant strain, begets and holds attention, and adds 
a pleasing variety to delivery. The extent of the rise 
or fall in pitch is governed by the amount of emotion 
contained in the thought. 

There are Three Inflexions: the Rising ( ' ), the Fal- 
ling (^), and the Circumflex {-). It requires no little 
attention to learn where each is appropriately used, 
yet, a close observance of the following rules will aid 
us. 



INFLEXION. 101 

Rules for the Use of Rising Inflexion. 

1. The Rising Inflexion is generally used in asking 
a direct question; e.g.. 

Have 3^ou prayM tonight, Desdemona? 

2. The Rising Inflexion is generally used in pathetic 
supplication, in expressing tender sentiments, in denot- 
ing servility, etc.; e.g., 

O! save me, Hubert, save me! my eyes are out 
Even with the fierce looks of these bloody men. 

3. The Rising Inflexion is used in the expression of 
something about which we are doubting; e. g. , 



Is not that a man standing on that great peak far to the 
South of us? 



4. The Rising Inflexion is used in answers that are 
slightly disrespectful, careless, etc.; e.g., 

r 

Did you see him? I did. 

5. The Rising Inflexion is used where the speaker 
is supposed to have all of a succession of particulars 
in his mind when he expresses the first; e. g., 

r r r > 

Caesar is said to have been tall, slim, agile, and hardy. 



102 ELEMENTS OF EXniESSlON, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

6. The Rising Inflexion is generally used before the 
disjunctive oi-; e. g. , 

Will you ride or walk? 

7. The Rising Inflexion is used in the negative 
part of all sentences where you have a negation and 
an affirmation; e. o. ^ 

Not tliat I loved Caesar less. l)ut that I loved Rome more. 

8. The Rising Inflexion is generally used in the 
last but one of a series of clauses; e. g., 

St. Benedict said to Totila: You do mvicb evil: you have 
already done much: cease at length to perpetrate injustice. 
You w^ill actually take Rome : you will cross the sea; you will 
reign nine years more, and die in the tenth. 

Rules For Falling Inflexion. 

I. The Falling Inflexion is used in answer to a direct 
question; e. g., 



Must I endure all this? Aye, more. 



2. The Falling Inflexion is used where strength, 
command, positiveness are asserted; e. g., 

Brutus bay not me, I'll not endure it. 



INFLEXION. 103 

3. The Falling Inflexion is used where a series of 
particulars suggest themselves one after another as the 
speaker proceeds in his discourse; e. g. , 

What a piece of work is man; liow noble in reason! how 
intliiite in faculties! in form, and moving, how express and 
admirable! in action, how like an angel! in apprehension, 
how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of 
an i naals ! — ^hakespea re. 

4. The Falling Inflexion is used where the sense is 
completed whether the end of the sentence is reached or 
not; e. 0-. , 

Oh Cassias! you are yoked with a lamb, 
That carries anger as the flint bears fire 

5. The Falling Inflexion is used to express hate, 
disdain, contempt, and other contrary sentiments; e.g., 

Poison be their drink ! 
G-all, worse than gall, the daintiest that they taste! 
Their sweetest shade, a grove of cypress trees ! 
Their chiefest prospect, murdering basilisks! 

Shakespeare. 

The Circumflex Inflexion. 

The Circumflex Inflexion is generally used in the 
expression of huniDr, irony, and sarcasm; e. g.-, 



104 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND FHYSICAL. 

I have heard, 
Where many of the best respect in Rome, 
Except immortal C«sar !— speaking of Brutus, 
Have wished that noble Brutus had his eyes. 

Shakespeare. 



Before I would drown myself for the love of a guinea hen, 
I would change my humanity with a baboon. — Shakespeare, 



Application. 



Study your selection until you are perfectly acquaint- 
ed with what the author wishes^ to say. The perfection 
of good speech depends greatly on this principle. Then 
speak the piece as though it were your own. 



GENERAL EXAMPLES. 



From King Henry IV. Part L Act V. 

Falstaff. Can honor set a leg? No. Or an arm? No. Or take 
away the grief of a wound? No. What is honor? A word. 
What is in that word honor? What is that honor? Air. A 
trim reckoning I— Who hath it? He that died o' Wednesday. 
Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No. Is it insensible 
then? Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the living? 
No. Why? Detraction will not suffer it :— therefore I'll none 
of it: honor is a mere scutcheon, and so ends my catechism 

Shakesijeare. 



INFLEXION. 105 

From The Rape of the Lock. 

See, fierce Belinda on the Baron flies, 
With more than usual lightni ng in her eyes. 
But this bold lord, with manly strength endued, 
She, with one finger and a tliumb subdued. 
Just where the breath of life his nostrils drew 
A charge of snuff the wily virgin threw; 
The gnomes direct, to every atom just, 
The pungent grains of titillating dust. 
Sudden with starting tears each eye o'erflows, 
And the high dome. re-echoes to his nose. 
Restore the lockl she cries, and all around, 
Restore the lockl the vaulted roofs rebound. 
Xot fierce Othello, in so loud a strain, 
Roared for the handkerchief that caused his pain. 
But see how oft ambitious aims are cross'd. 
And caiefs contend till all the prize is lost! 
The lock, obtained with guilt and kept with pain, 
In every place is sought, but sought in vain. 
Some thought it mounted to the lunar sphere. 
Since all things lost on earth are treasured there. 
There heroes' wits are kept in ponderous vases. 
And beaux' in snutf-boxes and tweezer-cases. 
There broken vows and death-bed alms are found, 
And lovers' hearts, with ends of riband bound ; 
Cages for gnats, and chains to yoke a flea. 
Dried butter-flies, and tomes of casuistry. 
But trust the Muse ! she saw it upward rise, 
Tliough marked by none but quick, poetic eyes; 
This lock the Muse shall consecrate to fame. 
And 'mid.t the stars inscribe Belinda's name. 

Pope. 

From The Boyne Water. 

An instant after, a man rushed into the hall, yelling fortli, 
'The Sassenachs!'* 
"I knew it," said Hogan, "by your signal horns— silence 1" 



100 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

As the throng of women in the hall |?ave ni^et response to 
the noise abroad— "silence, and hear riiy ordersi Half our 
men fco horse. Half of them, again, to the lirst gate of the 
avenue, the other to the second gate. Let the rest of the 
men stay in the liouse; a dozen. Only, to watch at the back. 
But, tirst of all, let hatchet, saw, and pickaxe, and every man 
that hears me, work, work, work, for dear life, to tear up the 
ground before both gates, and fell trees and bushes to clieck 
them— Speed! speed!" The hall was cleared in obedience to 
his orders: the Whisperer only stayed with him. 

"They will give us time for this," the general continued, 
"because they will advance cautiously: or our ambushed pick- 
ets and videttes will make tiiem give us time. You, master 
Evelyn, are to remain by my side. Fear nothing — we liave 
faced greater odds before now, and won the battle. If they 
force in upon us, I will still bother them; the house over 
n)y head shall burn to charcoal ere they possess it— fear 
nothing." — Banim. 

From Hamlet. Ad I. 

Hamlet. My father, — methinks, I see my father. 

Horatio. O! where my lord? 

Ham. In my mind's eye, Horatio. 

Hor. I saw him once: he was a goodly king. 

Ham. He was a man, take him for all in all, 
I shall not look upon his like again. 

Hor. My lord, I think I saw him yesternight. 

Hwni. Saw whom? 

Hov. My Lord, the king your father. 

Ham.. The king my father! 

Hor As I do live, my lionor'd lord, "tis true ; 

And we did think it writ down in our duty, 
To let you know of it. 

Hmi. Indeed, indeed, sirs, but this troubles me. 
Hold you the watch ro-night? 

All. We do,, my lo'-d. 

Ham. Arm'd, say you? 

All. Arm'd, my lord. 



INFLEXION. 107 

Mom. From top to toe? 

All. My lord, from head to foot. 
Hmn. Then saw you not his face? 
Hot. O! yes. my lord, he wore his beaver up. 
Ham. What! looked he frow^ningly? 
Hor. A countenance more 

In sorrow than in anger. 
Ham. Pale, or red? 

Hot. Xay, very pale. 

Ham. And fixed his eyes upon you? 

Hor. Most constantly. 

Ham. I would I had been there. 

Shal'espeait'. 



From Midshipman Bob. 

The next morning Mr. Inger^oli came to Bob with a very 
grave face. 

"Mr. Adair, I found this among tlie papers Mr. Haweis 
handed me by your request." 

"How did it get there, sir?" asked Bob. in surprise; for it 
was a long list of answers, copied figure for figure from the 
text-books, and covering the hardest part of the examination. 

"I don"t know," said IngersoU sorrowfully ; "and I'd ratber 
have cut off my fingers than to have found it: for I shall have 
to report it."' 

"Why, you don t think-you don't believe—" stammered 
Bob. his face flushing scarlet, and then turning deadly white, 
as the significance of it all dawned upon him, — "you couldn't 
think, Mr. IngersoU. that 1 did it. or used it?" 

"Personally, I couldn't and wouldn't, Adair. But here's 
the paper; and as it has fallen into my hands, I simply have 
to do my duty." 

Bob stood stupefied. Before him rushed hisbuoyous aspira- 
tions, his joyous youth, his pride in his first uniform, his 
happy, honorable Academy days, his future, his liopes. his 
mother: and now this disgraceful suspicion, with the blight- 
ing, crushing penalty 1 — E. L. Horsey. 



lOS ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 
From The Translation of the Iliad. 

Let me be foremost to defend the throne, 
And guard my father's glories and my own. 
"Yet come it will, the day decreed by fates, 
(How my heart trembles while my tongue relates!) 
The day when thou, imperial Troy, must bend, 
And see thy warriors fall, thy glories end. 
And yet no dire presage so wounds my mind, 
My mother's death, the ruin of my kind, 
Not Priam's hoary hairs, defiled with gore, 
Not all my brothers gasping on the shore, , 

♦As thine, Andromache! Thy griefs 1 dread: 
I see thee trembling, weeping, captive, led, 
In Argive looms our battles to design, 
And woes of which so large a part was thine; 
To bear the victor's hard commands, or bring 

, Tiie weight of waters from Hyperia's spring. 
There, while you groan beneath the load of life. 
They cry, 'Behold the mighty Hector's wife I' 
Some haughty Greek, who lives thy tears to see, 
Imbitters all thy woes by naming me. 
Thethought of glory past, and present shame, 
A thousand griefs shall waken at the name. 
May I lie cold, before that dreadful day, 
Pressed with a load of monumental clay, 
Thy Hector, wrapt in everlasting sleep, 
Shall neither hear thee sigh nor see thee weep." 

Pope. 

From Tangled Paths. 

•'No, madame, p'ardon me," he said. 1 have done nothing 
except my duty. 1 should offend the memory of my uncle by 
accepting a reward, and from youl All that I desire is your 
thanks, and a line acknowledging the receipt of tiiat 
package." 

"I could only expect this from a relative of Carl Shaeffer"' 
Natalie replied, respecting the sturdy burgher spirit that re- 



INFLEXION. 109 

fused her gold: then she turned to the table and wrote the 
acknowledgment he desired. "A day may, however, come," 
she added, as she gave it to him, "when I can show my grat- 
itude without wounding your honorable sensibilities. When 
do you return"? 

•"I shall get through my business here to-morrow morning, 
and take the alternoon train to reach New York in time for 
tlie outgoing German steamer, madame. Shall I call lor 
letters?" 

••No— Yes ! I will write to the president of the bank, who 
has now the management of my affairs. You have done me 
an inestimable service, for which I again thank you." 

"At what hour shall 1 call, madame?" 

"At any hour after 12 o'clock. Just send up the name of 
Carl Schaefer." 

"That is my name, Madame — " 

"It is a worthy name," she answered, with a far away look 
in her eyes, as if sad memories had taken form and become 
visible; but recalling herself to the present, she said: •'The 
letter will be brought to you by the old servant who admitted 
you. I will say adieu now, with the besb wishes for your safe 
return home."— A. H. Dorsey. 



From Much Ado about Nothing. Act II 

Benedick. Boy,-- 

Boy. Signor"? 

Bene. In my chamber-window lies a book : bring it hither 
to me in the orchard. 

Boy. I am here already, sir. 

Bene. 1 know that: but I would have thee hence and here 
again. — I do much wonder that one man, seeing how much 
another man is a fool when he dedicates his behaviours to 
love, will, after he hath laugh'd at such shallow follies in 
others, become the argument of his own scorn by falling in 
love: and such a man is Claudio. I have known when there 
was no music svith him but the drum and the life; and now 
had he rather hear the tabor and the pipe: I liave known 
when he would have walk'd ten mile a-foot to see a good arm- 



110 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION. VOCAL ANT) I'llYSTCAL. 

our; and now will he lie ten nights awake, carving- the fashion 
of a new doublet. He was wont to speak plain and to the 
purpose, like an honest man and a soldier: and now he is 
turned orthographer ; his words are a very fantastical ban- 
quet,— just so many strange dishes. May I be so converted, 
and see with these eyes? I cannot tell ; I think not: I will not 
be sworn, but love may transform me to an oyster; but I'll 
take my oath on it, till he have made an oyster of me, he 
shall never make me such a fool. One woman is fair,— yet I 
am well: another is wise, — yet I am well: another virtuous, — 
yet I am well: but till all graces be in one woman, one 
woman shall not come in my grace. Rich shall she be that's 
certain ; wise, or I'll none : virtuous, or I'll never cheapen her; 
fair, or I'll never look at her; mild, or come not near me; 
noble, or not I for an angel; of good discourse, an excellent 
musician, and her hair shall be of what colour it please &od. 

Shakespeare. 

From Gisippus. Act III. 

PheMX. Oh, Gisippus! 

6r*s. What is the matter? Give your wonder words. 

Pheax. You are my friend. Oh, I have a tale tor you ; 
Gisippus, if you take my counsel, 
You'll not remain in Athens. 

Gis. Not remain in Athens? 

Pheax. No— 'tis known— 

Gis. What's known? 

Pheax. That you have given Sophronia to the Roman. 

Gis. Oh: they know it? I am glad of it. They know 
That I have given her to her ancient love, 
And my first friend. What do theii' wisdoms say? 
Upon this novel guilt? if it be a crime 
To give my heart, life, soul, away — 
For thou to me wert all, Sophronia - if it be crime 
To tear up my own comfort by the roots, 
To make a garland for another's head, * 

Tlien 1 have sinned most deeply, and my reason 
Shall venerate their censure. 



INFLEXION. Ill 

Pheax. Oh. GisippiisI you are in peril! 
They have spoken loudly of your wants, my friend, — 
And Fulvius' wealth. You start? Ay, that's the charge! 
They trump it to the state that you have had 
Mean views in this. But it has struck you deep— 
You do not speak"? You do not answer me? 

(rlfi. I cannot spenk my thought! I'm wonderl ra^e 
And wonder all! {Pauses) 

The furies tear their hearts — lash them with worse. 
I'han the fell stings they've cast on mine! Gods! what! 
Tvlake venal that I gave my peace to purchase: 
And to my friend!— give me the slanderer's name 
That I may tear the lying tongue from out 
His jaws, and '"trample on the- T nm choked: 
1 ciinnot find a voice to curae them. 

Gerald Griffin. 



112 ELE3rENT« OF EXrKESSION, VOCAL AND PHTSICAI,, 



CHAPTER IX. 



QUALITY. 

The voice is nntni-e's medium of expression. The 
liunian voice is tlie vehicle of thought and feeling, tiie 
no'ent of the soul, the ))oihI of niiion betwixt man and 
man. It may l)e trained to convey 

''All thoughts, all passions, all delights 
Whatever stirs this mortal frame." 

The voice, heing comnionly in harmony with the na- 
ture of its possessor, reveals mucli chiaracter. ft is re- 
garded by some as an unfailing index. "A gruff, disa- 
greeable voice," say they, "makes known a like nature; 
and a sweet, soft, kind voice tells the story of corres- 
ponding inner traits of character." Naturalists that 
have studiously observed dogs, inform us, that each 
dog has a distinct or peculiar l)ark. which invariably 
agrees with'its well-known disposition and character- 
istics. The owl and raven are universally regarded as 
In'rds of evil omen; their voices almost justify the view. 

The moderate observation of each one will furnish 
like examples from nature. None will fail to detect the 



QUALITY. 113 

mild character of the dove in its plaintive cooing, and 
the loathsome character of the venomous serpent from 
its malignant hiss. No one hesitates to pronounce the 
character of a lamb from its bleating, and a mastiff 
from his bay. 

The same tell-tales of character may be found in ''the 
paragon of animals. " There are voices that enchain 
attention, quell opposition, reach and win the heart; 
there are others that estrange, provoke, and almost 
make 

"Each particular liair to stand on end, 
Like quills upon the fretful porcupine." 

The attribute which enables us to distinguish the 
different voices is called Quality, Character, or Timbre 
of voice. 

"The voice is a living seolian harp. The vocal chords 
are situated in the upper part of the larynx, v^here the 
air from the lungs, called breath, passes through, and 
brings to phonation the tones conceived in the brain. " 

It is susceptible of much cultivation. True, all may 
not attain the same mellowness, lullness, strength, and 
flexibility of vocal powder, but all can improve by judi- 
cious vocal exercise. The voice is exposed to ''the 
thousand natural shocks, that flesh is l.eir to," and, 
hence, must be emploj^ed with discretion. 

Perfect organs are little more to the speaker than 
perfect tools to the mechanic — both must practice to 
become skilful in their use. The golden rule of econ- 
omy, never let the expenditure exceed the supply, is 
especially applicable to the voice. The supply essen- 
tial to every speaker is a supply of breath. Hence, 
correct vocal culture resolves itself into the art of 



114 ELEMENTS OF EXPKESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

correct inspiration and expiration, the difficult art of 
breathiiie;. 

The great value and necessity of a good voice, all ad- 
mit. The bcrnions with which a Bernard or a Bossuet 
kindled devotion in the hearts of thousands would 
seem insipid, if delivered in leaden tones by a hueless 
voice. Shakespeare knew the value of a cultured 
voice when he said, 

In law what plea so tainted and corrupt, 
But, being seasoned with a gracious voice, 

Obscures the show of Evil? 

The voice is the interpreter of the emotions. Each 
emotion has its distinctive quality. If we would give 
adequate expression to these innumerable emotions, we 
must be able to govern with 

"giddy cunning 
The melting voice through mazes running, 
Untwisting all the chains that tie 
The hidden soul of harmony." 

The Qualities of Voice are seven: Pure, Orotund, As- 
pirate, Guttural, Pectoral, Falsetto, and Nasal. The 
lirst three of these have the three forms of Force, Effu- 
* sive. Expulsive, Explosive. 

The Guttural, owing to its nature, has no Effusive 
Form. The Pectoral, for a like reason, lacks Explosive 
Form. The Falsetto sometimes uses the Expulsive and 
Explosive Forms. 

The Nasal scarcely enters the province of elevated ex- 
pression. J)ut when we tind an unfortunate that strains 



QUALITY. 115 

all his sayings through his nose, should we meet him 
*'when the melancholy days have come," he would fil" 
ter his pathos through his nose in the Nasal Effusive. 
But should we wipe the tears from his eyes and soothe 
him with sweet words of consolation, he would show 
his gratitude ^'by telliw us a tale'' in the Nasal Ex- 
pulsive. After the ''tale'' is linished, the next theme 
is, perhaps, politics. We differ as to the merits of 
certain candidates. He extols his hero with great 
warmth. We bring up his idol's past record, which 
darkens the picture somewhat. Ouv nasal friend los- 
es control of his temper and tongue, and pours out a 
torrent of abuse on our favorite, in the Nasal Explosive. 



PURE TONE. 

Pure tone should be mastered before the others are 
attempted. In it lie all genuine power, compass, and 
endurance. When all the breath summoned for the 
production of a tone is vocalized, the result is Pure Tone. 

"The tones must be brought to the front of the 
mouth: The brightness or bloom of the tone should 
sparkle upon the lips, and the mouth should be filled 
with vibration. The hard- palate is the sounding- board 
and the mouth the resonance cavity of the voice. " 

The vocal cords must be unconstrained, otherwise the 
voice will be still" and throaty. Use the throat for a 
channel through which the tone-material merely passes. 

Pure Tone is the exponent of a tranquil state of mind 
and body; it is also used in expressing the tender emo- 
tions, as love, melancholy^ cheerfulness, etc. 



116 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Examples. 
From The Bells of Stonyhurst. 

Now fold on fold 

The sunset gold 
Winds every westward vale in splendor: 

And faint and far 

To evening star 
The turrets toll their ditty tender. 

Wild College chimes 

The vanished times 
Live in your magic music air, 

Witliin my heart 

Old memories start 
And wake anew your Ave Maria. 

F. J. Colemaii. 

From "Aristotle's Poetics." 

Eevealed Religion should be especially poetical— and it is 
so in fact. While its disclosures have an originality in them 
to engage the intellect, they have a beauty to satisfy the 
moral nature. It presents us witli those ideal forms of ex- 
cellence in which a poetical mind delights, and with which 
all grace and harmony are associated. It brings us into a 
new world— a world of overpowering interest, of the sublim- 
est views and the tenderest and purest feelings. The peculiar 
grace of mind of the IsTew Testament writers is as striking as 
the actual effects produced upon the hearts of those who have 
imbibed their spirit. At present we are not concerned with 
the practical, but the poetical nature of revealed truth. With 
Christians, a poetical view of things is a duty, — we are bid to 
color all things with hues of faith, to see a Divine meaning 
in every event, and a superhuman tendency. Even our 
friends around us are invested with unearthly brightness — 
no longer imperfect men, but beings taken into Divine fa- 
vor,.stamped with His seal, and in training for future happi- 
ness. It may be added that the virtues peculiarly Christian 



QUAT.ITrs 117 

are especially poetical— meekness, gentleness, compassion, 
contentment, modesty, not to mention the devotion;il virtues: 
whereas the ruder and more ordinary feelings are the instru- 
ments of rhetoric more justly than of pastry— anger, indigna- 
tion, emulation^ martJ-aJ spirit, and love of independence.— 
Newman. 

From A Wight in June, 

O choir of silence, without noise of word ! 

A human voice would break the mystic spell 

Of wavering shades and sounds: the lily bell 

Here at my feet sings melodies unheard; 

And clearer than the voice of any bird,— 

Yes even than that lark which loves so well. 

Hid in the hedges all the world to tell 

In trill and triple notes that May has stirred. 

"O love complete!" soft sings the mignonette: 

"O heart of All !" deep sighs the red, red rose : 

"O Heart of Christ !" th« lily voices meet 

In fugue on fugue: and from the flag-edged, wet. 

Lush borders of the lake, the night wind blows 

The tenor of the reeds — "Love, love complete 1" 

Maurice F. Egan. 

From Merchant of Venice. Act V. 



How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! 
Here will we sit. and let the sounds of music 
Creep in our ears; soft stillness, and ohe night, 
Become the touches of sweet harmony. 
Sit, Jessica; look how the floor of heaven 
Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold; 
There's not tlie smallest orb, which thou behold'st, 
But in his motion like an angel sings, 
Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubim: 
Such harmony is in immortal souls; 
But whilst this muddy vesture of decay 
Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it. 

IShali^esipeare. 



118 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 
From Criterion. 

Every one ought to choose the profession for which nature 
has most fitted him. This rule is of great importance ; it 
has often been neglected and the arts and sciences have suf- 
fered considerably in consequence. Some men imagine that 
the word "talent" means absolute ability. They suppose that 
a man who possesses abilities for one particular study, must 
likewise possess them for every other study. This is a great 
mistake. Experience teaches that some men haA'e extraor- 
dinary abilities for some one branch of human knowledge, 
whilst in other branches they either do not succeed at all or 
their success will be very limited, notwithstanding the most 

intense application Each talent has its own degree of 

strength and of weakness. There are few men, we might say 
there is not a single man, who would succeed equally well in 
all stations or professions.— i^et\ /. Balmes. 

From Bible, ^ ience, and Faith. 

The book of Nature and the book of the Spirit, although 
appealing to us in different tongues, ever voice the same tes- 
timony and proclaim the same truth. They both, in words 
eloquent and sublime, tell us of a God infinite in wisdom and 
love and perfection, who ordains all things well, and who 

compasses His ends with infinite knowledge and power 

One may indeed reject the truths of the Bible and discard 
the teachings of faith, as the mariner may ignore the saving 
bell or the friendly pharos; but he does so at his peril. Ear 
from gaining anything by this mad assertion of independence! 
—an independence which means not liberty and life, but 
rashness and destruction — he inevitably loses, and his loss 
carries wiih it the loss and deatli, it may be, of others be- 
sides. There is too much of doubt and uncertainty in the 
world of science for us to decline the undeniable helps of re- 
velation — too much fog and darkness enveloping many prob- 
lems of philosophy for us to close our eyes to the sun of Truth 
or for us to make naught of the light of God's inspired word. 

Bev. J. A. Zahm. 



QUALITY. 119 

From Books and Reading. 

I have strayed into many fields of literature, and culled 
flowers in many languages, and I can bear witness that, 
whilst there are certain works in other languages which I 
appreciate more highly than works of the same grade in our 
own tongue, still, taking the literature of various countries 
as a whole, there is none of less objectionable character and 
of more elevating tone than is English literature, in its 
grand roll of authors from Widsith, the old English gleeman 
of the fourth century, down to the present laureate. But for 
this boon we are not to thank the Protestantism of England. 
It is rather due to the fact that the roots of English litera- 
ture struck deep in Catholic soil, and the conservative char- 
acter of the English people kept up the Catholic spirit and 
the Catholic traditions long after the very name of Catholic 
had become offensive. That Catholic spirit still lingers in 
the cloistered aisles and corridors of Oxford. It hovers over 
tlie vacant tomb of Edward the Confessor within the hal- 
lowed walls of Westminster Abbey. It speaks in tower and 
pillared dome throughout the land "of which every arch has 
its scroll teaching Catholic Wisdom, and every window repre- 
sents some canonized saint.'' It breathes through the Cath- 
olic prayei's still preserved in the Book of Common Prayer. 
It has become transfused into s >me of the noblest passages in 
Paradise Lost; the Arianism and the Protestantism are 
Milton's own: but his magnificent lines clothe many a senti- 
ment of tenderness and sublimity culled from the pages of 
Caedmon, St. Avitus, Andreini, the Catholic mediseval mir- 
acle plays, and Lucifer, the Catholic drama of Vondel, the 
great Catholic and national poet of Holland. — Brother Azarias. 

From Paradise. Canto XXIL 

Astounded, to the guardian of my steps 
1 turn'd me, like tlie child, who always runs 
Thither for succour, where he trusteth most, 
And she was like the mother, who her son 
Beholding pale and breathless, with her voice 
Soothes him, and he is cheer'd; for thus she spake 



120 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Soothing me: knowest not thou, thou art in heav'n? 
And know'st not thou, whatever is in heav'n, 
Is holy, and that nothinc^ there is done 
But is done zealously and well? Deem now, 
What change in thee the song, and what my smile 
Had wrought, since thus the shout had pow'rto move 

thee, 
In which couldst thou have understood their prayers, 
The vengeance were already known to thee. 
Which thou must witness ere thy mortal hour. 
The sword of heaven is not in haste to smite, 
Kor yet doth linger, save unto his seeming, 
Wlio in desire or fear doth look for it. 

Cary^s Dante. 

From Martin Luther and His American Worshippers. 

(American Catholic Quarterly Review, July, 1884.) 

Modern taste unfortunately— and we may thank Luther's 
teaching for it— is no longer Christian, but pagan. Our he- 
roes, too often nowad'ays, are made and held up for worship, 
not on the score of religion, virtue, or love of country, but 
because they are of the world, worldly, mouthpieces in word, 
or patterns indeed, of the bad passions and corrupt inclina- 
tions that belong to unregenerate man. They have their use, 
too ; for they are put up by a fevv' bad men, and stand on their 
pedestals mute but eloquent witnesses of the cowardly servil- 
ity that is an unfailing mark of all degenerate communities 
and peoples. Thus Greece of old, in her halls, groves, and 
high-ways, for one bust of Plato or Leonidas, had full twenty 

of Aphrodite, Eros, Priapus and adulterous Jove Luther 

deserves no statue at the hands of the American people, nor 
in their chief city, for liis teachings or any influence they 
may have exercised on civil and religious liberty. The idle 
boast that our political liberty has any connection with 
Martin Luther or his Reformation is sufficiently disproved 
by the fact that the liberties of Germany were effectually lost 
after Lutheranism had brought Germany under its influence, 
and nowhere more thoroughly than in Scandinavian Europe, 
where it became supreme without a liwd^l.—Monsignor Cor- 
coran. 



QUALITY* 121 

From Sweet Innisfallen. 

S veet Innisfallen, long shall dwell 
In memory's dream that sunny smile, 

Which o'er thee on that evening fell, 
When lirst I saw thy fairy isle. 



'Twas light, indeed, too blest for one, 
Who had to turn to paths of care — 

Through crowded haunts again to run. 
And leave thee bright and silent there; 



^o more unto thy shores to come 
But on the world's rude ocean tost, 

Dream of thee sometimes as a home 
Of sunshine he had seen and lost. 



Moore. 



THE OROTUND. 

The Orotund is a rich, deep, resonant chest-tone. It 
is the Pure Tone amplified. The volume of Pure Tone is 
increased when the sentiments, which Pure Tone con- 
veys, become more elevated. Thus, in expressing our 
esteem, love, or mere admiration, we employ the simple 
Pure Tone. But when esteem heightens to reverence, 
love to adoration, admiration to aioe^ then the tone 
swells in harmony until it merges into what is called 
Orotund. 

The Orotund requires deep breathing, great free- 
dom, anvl a liberal opening of the vocal apparatus. 



122 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Examples. 
From The Hidden Gem. 

Father! who here this thing of clay didst fashion 
Into Thine Image's terrestrial frame, 
Its dust together hold, or free disperse. 
Where rest my fathers, or as outcasts flung ; 
Make it the earthworm's, or the vulture's feast, 
So that from its corruption flash my soul, 
Into the furnace of thy purest fire : 
Or rather, like a pearl, be gently dropped 
Into the abyss of Thy great ocean-bosom. 
To seek in vain for surface, depth, or margin, 
Absorbed, yet unconsumed, entranced, yet, free. 

Cardinal Wiseman. 

From The Precious Blood. 

Salvation ! What music is there in that word, — music that 
never tires but is always new, that always rouses yet always 
rests us! It holds in itself all that our hearts would say. It 
is sweet vigor to us in the morning, and in the evening it is 
contented peace. It is a song that is always singing itself 
deep down in the delighted soul. Angelic ears are ravished 
by it up in heaven; and our Eternal Father himself listens to 
it with adorable complacency. It is sweet even to Him out 
of whose mind is the music of a thousand worlds. To be 
saved! What is to be saved? Who can tell? Eye has not seen, 
noi- ear heard. It is a rescue, and from such a shipwreck. It 
is a rest, and in such an unimaginable home. It is to lie 
down forever in the bosom of God in an endless rapture of 
insatiable contentment. — Father Faber. 

From Threnodia Augustalis. 

Be true, O Clio, to thy hero's name 
But draw him strictly so 



QUALITY. 123 

That all who view the piece may know 

He needs no trappings of tictitious fame 

For once, O Heaven, unfold thy adamantine l-ook; 

And let his wondering senate see. 

If not thy firm, immutable decree, 

At least the second page of strong contingency, 

Such as consists with wills originally free, 

Let them with glad amazement look 

On what their happiness may be ; 

Let them not still be obstinately blind, 

Still to divert the good thou hast designed, 

Or with malignant penny 

To stain the royal virtues of his mind. 

Dryden. 



From Paradise. Canto XXX. 



O prime enlightener! thou who gav'st me strength 

On the high triumph of thy realm to gaze ! 

Grant virtue now to utter what I kenn'd. 

There is in heav'n a light, whose goodly sliine 

Makes the Creator visible to all 

Created, that in seeing him alone 

Have peace: and in a circle spreads so far, 

That the circumferen(e wore too loose a zone 

To girdle in the sun. All is one beam, ^ 

Reflected from the summit of the first, 

That moves, which being hence and vigour takes, 

And as some cliff, that from tlie bottom eyes 

Its image mirror'd in the crystal flood, 

As if to admire its brave apparelling 

Of verdure and of flowers; so, round about. 

Eyeing the light, on more than million thrones. 

Stood, eminent, whatever from our earth 

Has to the skies return 'd. 

Cary^s Dante. 



124 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSicAL. 



From The Bells of Stony hurst. 

Old College bells! 

Your carol swells 
Like angel chords, or voices fairy; 

Witbin my soul 

J. hear you toll 
In fancy still your Ave Maria. 



Old bells, old bells! 

Your music tells 
Of joyous hours and friendships cherished, 
Of smiles and tears, and golden years 
And dreams and hopes that long have perished. 



Ah, sweet and sad, 
When evening glad 
Gives rest to hearts with toiling weary, 
By memories tolled, 
Sweet bells of old ! 
To hear again your Ave Maria. 

P. /. Coleman. 



From St. Herculanus. 

"Perugians, stand! 
Fight for the faith of fatherland ; 
Your leader I ; strike, strike for God, 
Your altars and your native sod." 



His voice gives nerves the strength of steel, 
Gives hearts the valor heroes feel; 
One purpose gleams in every eye: 
"On to the fight and victory !" 



-r^'LALITY. 125 

Urave heart! outstripping e'en the brave, 
You fell, but in your fall you gave 
Example fair of steadfast faith, 
Of dauntless soul , of glorious death- 



By craft, not arms, the city falls, 
The foeman's sentries pace the walls: 
Your veins a cifcy's ransom hold— 
What bliss! you die to save your fold! 

Leo XIIL 



From The Duelist's Honor. 



Upon what ground can he who engages in a duel, through 
fear of ignominy, lay claim to courage? Unfortunate delin- 
quent! Do you not see by how many links your victim was 
bound to a multitude of others? Do'^s his vain and idle re- 
signation of his title to life absolve you irom the enormous 
claims which sOci(?ty has upon you for his services, — his 
family for that support o'; which you have robbed them, 
without your own enrichment? Go, stand over that body; 
call back that soul which you have driven from its tenement; 
take up that hand which your pride refused to touch, not one 
hour ago. You have in your pride and wrath, usurped one 
prerogative of God— you have inflicted death. At least, in 
mercy, attempt the exercise of another- breathe into those 
distended nostrils,— let your brother be once more a living 
soul! Merciful Father! how powerless are we for good but 
how mighty for evil! Wretched man! he does not answer, 
—he cannot rise. All your efforts to make him breathe are 
vain. His soul is already in the presence of your common 
Creator. Like the wretched Cain willyou answer, "Am I 
my brother's keeper?" Why do you turn away from the 
contemplation of your own honorable work? Yes, go far as 
you will, still the admonition will ring in your ears; It ivas 
hy your hand he fell!— Bishop England. 



126 ELEMEMS OF EXPKESSION, VOCAL AKD l'H\felCAL. 

THE ASPIRATE. 

The Aspirate if> used when the miijcl is stirred with 
apprehension, when we wish to caution others without 
beiijj^ overljeard, when extremely affrighted, and in ex- 
pressing every form of secrecy. 

It is a breathy quality demanding little or no vocal- 
ity. The production of this quality is an excellent vocal 
exercise, but we should stop before the oroaiis become 
dry, and take great care to ecoj](jniize bre:ith. 

Examples. 

From Macbeth. Act IL 

Macbeth. Whence is that knocking? — 
How is't with me, when every noise appals me? 
What hands are here I Ha! they pluck out mine eyes. 
Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood 
Clean from my hands? No! this my hand will rather 
The multitudinous seas incarnadine, 
Making the green one red. 

Re-enter Lady Macbeth. 

Lady Jjf. My hands are of your color; but I shame 
To wear a heart so white, {knock.) I hear a knocking 
At the south entry:— retire we to our chamber. 
A little water clears us of this deed: 
How -easy is it, then? Your constancy 
Hath left you unattended.— (fcnoc/c.) Hark! more knockiii;^-. 
Get out your night gown, lest occasion call us. 
And show us to be watchers. — Be not lost 
So poorly in your thoughts. 

Macb. To know my deed, 'twas best not know myself. 
{knock) 
Wake Duncan with thy knocking: I would thou couldst! 

Shakespeare. 



QUALITY. 127 

From The Dying Christian to His Soul. 

Hark ! they whisper: angels say, 
Sister spirit come away. 
What is this absorbs me quite, 
Steals my senses, shuts my sight. 
Drowns my spirits, draws my breath? 
Tell me, my soul, can this be death? 

Pope. 

From The Hidden Gem. 

Bihulus. This way, masters, this way, we are now just at 
the door. 

X Bohher. Which way? 

Bib. Why this way. 

11. Bob. But which is this way? 

Bib. Follow me, you— 

I. Boh. Come, no sauce— where are you? 

Bib. Follow your nose, then, straight across the court. 
[They meet in the middle.] 
Here we are at last all together, now take hold of one an- 
other, and follow me.—Cardimd Wiseman. 

From King John. Act IV. 

Arthur. O'. now you look like Hubert : all this while 
■f ou were disguised. 

Hubert. Peace! no more, adieu. 

Your uncle mast not know but you are dead: 
I'll fill these dogg'd spies with false reports; 
And, pretty child, sleep doubtless, and secure, 
That Hubert, for the wealth of all "the world, 
Will not offend thee. 

Arth. O Heaven I— I thank you, Hubert. 

Hub. Silence! no more. Go closely in with me ; 
Much danger do I undergo for thee. 

Shakespeare. 



1-28 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 
From Essay on Satire. 

Each fool to low ambition, poorly great, 
That pines in splendid wretchedness of state, 
Tired in the treacherous chase, would nobly yield, 
And but for shame, lil<:e Sylla, quit the field: 
The demon Shame paints strong the ridicule, 
And whispers close, "The world will call you fool." 

Pope. 

From Hamlet. Act I. 

Angels and ministers of grace defend us ! — 

Be thou a spirit of health, or goblin damn'd, 

Bring with thee airs from heaven, or blasts from hell, 

Be thy intents wicked or charitable, 

Thoucom'st in such a questionable shape, 

That I will speak to thee ; I'll call thee, Hamlet, 

King, father, royal Dane; O, answer me; 

Let me not burst in ignorance! but tell 

Why thy canonized bones, hearsed in death, 

Have burst their cerements I why the sepulchre. 

Wherein we saw thee quietly inurn'd, 

Hath oped his ponderous and marble jaws. 

To cast thee up again! 

Shakespeare. 

THE GUTTURAL. 

The etymology of this Tvord gives us a clue to its 
quality. It is derived from the Latiu word guttur= 
throat, because it is of the throat, throaty . It is the 
result of a rigid condition of the vocal organs arising 
from the intensity of the passions it manifests. It is a 
gruff, discordani tone, eminently fitted to express ex- 
treme anger, liiiense rage^ deep contempt^ and merciless 



QUALITY. 129 

revenge. Tf we would give just expression to our ha- 
tred for detestable tilings, we must acquire this quality. 

Examples. 

From The Hidden Gem. 

Again, and a^a4n, I have been vilely used, down to the last 
ni^htl Aye. last nightl That was the last drop! That can 
never be blotted out except by one means. — Yes, in the in- 
tense solitude of that foul dungeon, — in the Tartarus of that 
broiling furnace— in the murkiness of that endless night- 
still more, in the bitterness of an envenomed soul— in the 
recklessness of despair— yea, through gnashing teeth and 
parched throat — I, Bibulus, vowed revenge — fatal revenge. 
My manacles and gyves rung like cymbals, as my limbs quiv- 
ered while I uttered the burning words; and a liollow moan, or 
laugh— I know not which— reechoed them through the vault. 
* * * 

And when did an Asiatic heart retract such a vow? When 
did it forego the sweet, delicious thought— the only luxury of 

a slave — revenge? Down, ye growling curs of remorse! Hush! 

hissing worms of conscience ! You are Too late — the potion is 
mixed, and the fatal drug cannot be extracted. And then 
remember Ardea — this afternoon — with its death of a mad 
hound foaming at the mouth, or a viper shrivelled up on a 
scorching bank. Ho; no more qualms. What I am going to 
do is a safe remedy of all my ills— the easiest way of gaining 
all my ends. — Cardinal Wisefman. 

From Othello. Act III. 

Othello. O, that the slave had forty thousand lives, 
One is too poor, too weak for my revenge : 
IS^ow do I see 'tis true.— Look here, lago; 
All my fond love thus do I blow to heaven; 'tis gone.— 
Arise, black vengeance from thy hollow cell! 
Yield up, O love! thy crown, and hearted throne, 



ISO ET.EMENTS OF EXPRESSION. VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

To tyrannous hate! swell, bosom with thy fraught. 
For 'tis of aspics' tongues! 

lago. Pray, be content. 

OUi. O, blood, lago. blood ! Shalctpe:tre. 

From The Battle of Knocktuagh. 

Then stept tierce Cathal to the front his Chieftains standing 
nigh; 

"Proud stranger take our answer back, and tl is our reason 
why:— 

Our wolves are gaunt for lack of food— our eaglej pine away, 

And to glut them with your flesh, lo! we stop you here to- 
day!" 

"Now, gramercy for the thought!" Calm Sir Hugolin replied, 

And with a steadfast look and mien that wrathful Chieftain 
eyed : — 

"Yet should your wild birds covet not tie dainty fare you 
name. 

Then, by the rood, our Norman swords si all -arve them bet- 
ter game! 

By the Author of '^The Monks of Kilcrea.^' 

From Coriolanus. Act V. 

Measureless liar, thou hast m; de my heart 
Too great for what contains it. Boy I O slay. ; 
Pardon me, lords, 'tis the first time th it ever 
I was forc'd to scold. Your judgment ;. my grave iords, 
Must give this cur the lie ; and his ow i notion 
(Who wears my stripes, impress'd upo , him, that 
Must bear my beating to liis grave) siiill join 
To thrust the lie upon him. 

/. Lord. Peace both, and hear me speak. 

Cor. Cut me to pieces. Voices; men and lads. 
Stain all your edges on me.— Boy ! False hound ! 
If you have writ your annals trae, 'tis there, 
That like an eagle in a dove-coit, 1 
Flutter'd your Volscians in Corioli; 
Alone I did it.— Boy! Shakesmare. 



QUALITY. 131 

From The Siege of Maynooth. 

"The Earl heaped favors on thee?"— Never heaped 
king- more on Lord." 
^'He loved thee? honored thee'?"— I was his heart, his arm, 

his sword!'' 
''He trusted thee V -Even as he trusted his own lofty soul!" 
^' And thou helTayedst liimT' Base wretch! thou knowest the 

traitor's goal! 
"Ho Provost Marshal hither! Take this losei caitiff hence 
I mark, methinks, a scaffold under yonder stone defence. 
Off with his head! By Heaven, the blood within me boils and 

seethes ! 
To look on him! So vile a knave pollutes the air he breathesl" 

J. C. Mangan. 



THE PECTORAL 

The etymology of this word also stands us in good 
stead, it has its origin from pectus, the breast, be- 
cause it derives its resonance from tiie lower part of 
the chest. It is deeper than the Orotund but lacks its 
strength and purity. It is tinged with the Aspirate 
and the Orotund. In the expression of horror^ re- 
jtiorse, av;e, etc., it is very effective. 

JExamples. 
From Hell. Canto XXX. 

"O ye, who in this world of misery. 
Wherefore I know not, are exempt from pain, " 
Thus he began, "attentively regard 
Adamo's woe. When, living, full supply 
Ne'er lacked me of what most I coveted ; 
One drop of water now, Alas! I crave. 
The rills, that glitter down the glassy slopes 



132 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION. VOCAL AND PHYSICAL 

Of Casentino, making fresli and soft 

The banks whereby they glide to Arno's stream, 

Stand ever in my view; and not in vain : 

P^or more the pictured semblance dries me up. 

Much more than the disease, which makes the flesh 

Desert the shrivell'd cheeks." 

Cary^s Bank. 

From God in the Night. 

Deep in the dark 1 hear the feet of God: 
He walks the world: He puts F^is holy i.and 
On every sleeper— only puts His hand— \ 

Within it benedictions for each one — 
''i'lien passes on; but ah: wlien e'er He meets 
A watcher waiting for Him. He is glad. 
(Does God li^e man, feel lonely in the dark?) 
He rests His hand upon the watcher's brow- 
But more than that He leaves His very breath 
Upon the watcher's soul, and more than this. 
He stays for holy hours where watchers pray: 
And more than that, He oftentimes lifts the veils 
That hide the visions of the world unseen. 
The brightest sanctities of highest souls 
Have blossomed into beauty in the dark. 

Father Byan. 

From God Revealed in Nature. 

God of Christians! it is on the waters of the abyss and on 
the vast expanse of the he ivens that Thou liast particularly 
engraven the characters of Thy omnipotence! iMillion* ot 
stars sparkling in the azure of the celestial dome— the moon, 
in the midst of the firmament- a sea unbounded by any shore 
— intinitude in the skies and on the waves— proclaim with 
most impressive effect the power of Thy arm! Never did Thy 
greatness strike me with profounder awe than in those 
nights, when, suspended ijetween the stars and the ocean. 
1 behelrl immensity over my head and immensity beneath 
my feet ! 



QUALITY. 133 

I am nettling; I am only a simple, solitary wanderer, and 
often liave I heard men of science disputing on the subject of 
a Supreme Being, without understanding them: taut I have 
invariably remarked, that it is in the prospect of sublime 
scenes of nature that this unknown Being manifests Himself 
to the human heart. — C/iateaubriand. 



THE FALSETTO 

The Falsetto is that thin, shrill voice which we use 
wlien we exceed our natural compass. It is used in 
fright, afectatkm, screaming^ and in petulant em jjhasis . 
Men sometimetf employ this quality of voice in imita- 
tino- women and children. 

Examples. 
From Prologue to "The Maiden Queen." 

Women like us passing for men you'll cry, 

Presume too much upon your secrecy 

The ladies we shall not so easily please : 
They'll say, '-What impudent bold things are these, 
That dare provoke, yet cannot do us right. 
Like men, with huffing looks, that dare not light. 

Dn/den. 

From The Poet's Little Rival. 

Then the poet leans and listens 
With a quaint and tender air. 
As the bird-like child goes darting 
Through the oeautiful parterre. 
"Bravo! Bravo, little poet!" 
(Startled, flushed with love's sunshine:) 
"See my poem, papa darling! 



I'M i<:i.I':mk:;ts ov KxruKssioN. voc^al and iMivsicAii, 

F]vory word ;i blossom line." 

"Sweet," he says: ''(Jod bless thee da.iij^Uter; 

Ne'er was poem writ like tliiiu !' 

Mlleauor (\ iMmneUy. 

From Ellen Middleton. 

Julia was st;iiidini>- at- the bead of tbe stone steps tbat I 
bave desci'ibed as t'oriuing one of tbe extremities o1' tbe ve- 
r:nida; and as sbe placed ber foot on one of tbe moss-covered 
slippery steps slie called out, "I'm goin^ down— I'll bave my 
own way now." I seized ber band, and drawing her back ex- 
claimed, "Don't Julia!" on wbicb sbe said, "You bad better 
not tease me; you are to be sent away if you tease me." I 
felt as if a viper bad slung me; tbe blood rusbed to my bead, 
and 1 struck her: sbe reeled under tbe blow, ber foot slipped, 
and sbe fell headlong down the steps. A voice near me said, 
"8be has killed hevV' ~'L((d;i (fioryldna Fulbrton. 

Frcm The Rape of the Lock, 

"Ob, wretched maid!" Sbe spread ber bands and cried, 
Wliile IJanipton's echoes, "wretched maid!" replied, 
"Was it for this you took such constant care 
Tbe bodkin, coAib, and essence to prepare? 
For this your locks iri paper durance bound? 
For tills witli torturing irons wreathed around? 
For this with llllets strained your tender bead. 
And bravely bore tbe double loads of lead? 
Cods! shall tbe ravisbei' display your hair, 

^Vbile tbe fops envy, and the ladies stare? 

And shall tliis prize, th' inestinuible prize, 

Exposed tlrrougb crystal to the gazing eyes, 

And heigh ten'd by tbe diamonds circling rays, 

On tbat rapacious band forever blaze? 

Sooner shall grass in Hyde Park circus grow. 

And wits take lodgings in tlie sound of Bow! 

Sooner let air, eaith, sea, to chaos fall, 

Men, monkeys, lapdogs, parrots, perish all!" Fope. 



QUALITY. 135 

THE NASAL. 

"That nasal twang, 
Heard in conventicle, where worthy men. 
Misled by custom, strain celestial themes 
Through the pressed nostril spectacle-bestrid," 

i« placed here, not to be acquired — ^^but to be avoided. 
It is the outcome of permitting too much or too little 
air to pass through the nasal passages. Those who 
may have acquired this quality from carelessness 
should regard it as a defect, and, hence, begin to over- 
come it. It is chiefly valuable for mimics and imper- 
sonator.^. 



GENERAL EXAMPLES. 
From Father Connel. 

Helen heard the noise of a heavy blow, and the long shrieks 
suddenly stopped, subsiding into a low, melancholy cry, fol- 
lowed by deep, deep moans; and a second blow, accompanied 
by a liissing sound of human breath, such as workmen utter, 
when they labor with a hatchet. Perfect silence ensued, for 
a short time, only interrupted by the whispering of the night- 
breeze through the grass, and through the bushes, and by the 
gentle fall of w^ater near at hand. Hasty footsteps entered 
the little hollow, and jjaused v/ithin a few feet of where she 
lay concealed. 

"This is the place he bade us wait for him," said a hoarse, 
deep voice but in cautious tones. 

"It is," answered another person— and the two words were 
spoken with a shudder. 

"That was a black act," continued the first voice, 

"Oh, it was a bloody deed! Oh, the thought of this night 
will never leave my mind, never, never!" — Banim. 



136 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

From Nature Proclaims a Deity. 

There is a God ! the herbs of the valley, the cedars of the 
mountain bless him ; the insect sports in His beams ; the bird 
sings Him in the foliage; the thunder proclaims Him in the 
Heavens, tlie ocean declares His immensity: man alone has 
said, there is no God! Unite in thought at the same instant 
the most beautiful objects in nature. Suppose tliat you see, 
at once, all the hours of the day, and all the seasons of the 
year: a morning of spring and a morning of autumn: a night 
bespangled with stars, and a night darkened by clouds; 
meadows enamelled with flowers ; forests hoary with snow; 
fields gilded by the tints of autumn, — then alone you will 
have a just conception of the universe! — Chateaubriand. 

From Philosophy of History. 

Christianity was the connecting power which linked to- 
gether the great community of European nations, not only in 
the moral and political relations of life, but also in science 
and modes of thinking. The Church was like the all embrac- 
ing vault of heaven, beneath whose kindly shelter, those war- 
like nations began to settle in peace, and gradually to frame 
their laws and institutions. Even the office of instruction, 
the heritage of Christian knowledge, the promotion of sci- 
ence, and of all that tended to advance the progress of the 
human mind, devolved to the care of the Church, and were 

exclusively confined to the Christian schools The little 

knowledge that was then possessed, was by the more active 
spirit, and the sound understanding and practical sense of 
the European nations, and their better priesthood, applied 
with general advantage to the interests of Society. Science 
was not then, as in the latter period of its proud ascendency, 
in open hostility with the pure dictates of faith and the 
institutions of life. On that world so variously excited in 
peace, as in war, and by the different pursuits of art and in- 
dustry, useful knowledge and wholesome speculation descend- 
ed, not iilce a violent flood, but like the soft distillations of 
the refreshing dew, or the gentle drops of fertilizing rain, 
from the Heaven of faith which over-arched the wliole. 

Frederick von Schleyel. 



QUALITY. 137 

From A Sermon on Heaven. 

You have found yourself, perchance, upon a summer day, 
within the sanctuary of some sequestered vale: the tempered 
sunshine rests on all; in the rain-freshened verdure of the 
tree above you, and of the grass beneath your feet : on t he 
smiling hills that enfold you on every side; on the sleeping 
waters cf the lake beneath. The air is sweet with the scent 
of flowers, and cooled by the plashing of the shady stream; 
sounds of song are in the sky above, and in the woods and 
thickets around. Though, indeed, you scarcely note each sev- 
eral charm ; for it is the unspeakable harmony of all, and its 
unison with the chords of your heart within, that you are 
sensible of as you pant out, in a very rapture of thanksgiving, 
My God, this is heavenly! 

Yes, it is; and thank Him for such a glimpse into the mir- 
ror, when the very smoothness of unfallen nature is upon it,' 
when the Peace of Paradise seems restored, and the uncloud- 
ed smile of its not yet outraged God seems reflected on earth 
that bears as yet no curse. Make the most of such hours, for 
they will quickly pass: the valley will be storm-ywept, the 
skies darkened, the verdure, the fragraiice. the melody,— all 
will soon go. But that is to remind you that what you have 
seen is an image, and not the reality; it is not to take away 
the lesson that its beauty has taught you, nor to rob you of 
the hope it has kindled in your soul. For the invisible Heav- 
en of God is clearly seen from the created world below, being 
understood through its image in creation. — Ardihishop Byan. 

From Sursum Corda. 

Homeless hearts! homeless hearts! through the dreary, 

dreary years, 
Ye are lonely, lonely wand'rers, and your way is wet with 

tears ; 
In bright or blighted places, wheresoever ye may roam, 
Ye look away from earth-land, and ye murmur, -'Where is 

home? 

Homeless hearts ! God is Home ! 

Father- Ryan. 



138 ELEMENTS OF EX PEE SRI ON. VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

From To a Tomb. 

What horror at thy sight shoots throu;::^h each sense! 

How powerful is thy silent eloquence 

Which never flatters! Thou instruct'st the proud, 

That their swoU'n pomp is but an empty cloud, 

Slave to each wind; the fair, those flowers they have 

Fresh in their cheel^, are strewed upon a gravi. 

Thou tell'st the rich their idol is but earth; 

The vainly pleased, that syren-lil^e their mirth 

Betrays to misciiief, and that only he 

Dares welcome death, whose aims at virtue be. 

Hahington. 

From The Necessity of Religion for Society. 

Religion is the only solid basis of society. If the social 
editice rests not on this eternal and immutable foundation, it 
will soon crumble to pieces. It w5uld be as vain to attempt 
to establish society without religion as to erect a palace in 
the air, or on shifting sands, or to hope to reap a crop from 
seed scattered on the ocean's surface. Religion is to society 
what cement is.to the building: it makes all parts compact 
and coherent. What principles without religion are binding 
enough to exact of you that obedience which you owe to 
society and to the laws of your country? Is it the dread 
of civil punishment? But the civil power takes cognizance 
only of overt acts. It has no jurisdiction over the heart, 
which is the seat of rebellion, the secret council chamber 
where dark schemes are concocted. The civil power cannot 
enter the hidden recesses of the soul, and quell the tumults 
raging there. It cannot suppress those base calumnies, whis- 
pered in the dark, which poison the social atmosphere with 
their foul breath, and breed hatred, resentment, and death. 
You might as well try to preserve a tree from decay by lop- 
ping oft" a few withered branches whilst allowing the worms 
to gnaw at the roots, as to try preserve the social tree from 
moral corru|)tion by preventing some external crimes whilst 
leaving the heart to be worm-eaten by \ice.— Cardinal Qib- 
bjns. 



QUALITY. 139 

From Hamlet. Act III. 

Whereto serves mercy, 
But to confront the visage of offence? 
And what's in praj-er, but this two-fold force, — 
To be forestalled ere we come to fall, 
Or pardoned, being down? Then I'll look up. 
My fault is passed. But, O, what form of prayer 
Can serve my turn? Forgive me my foul murder! — 
That cannot be : since I am still possess'd 
Of those effects for which I did the murder. 

My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen 

Try what repentance can : What can it not? 

Yet what can it. when one cannot repent? 

O wretched statel O bosom, black as death ! 

O limed soul, that, struggling to be free, 

Art more engag'dl Help angels, make assay! 

Bow, stubborn knees! and heart, with strings of 

steel, 
Be soft as sinews of the new-born babe; 
All may be well. , SShakespeare. 

From "Hereafter." 

Is it not sweet to think, hereafter 
When the spirit leaves this sphere, 
Love with deathless wing will waft her 
To those she long hath mourned for here? 

Hearts from which 't was death to sever, 
Eyes, this world can ne'er restore, 
There as warm, as bright as ever, 
Shall meet us and be losb no more. 

When wearily we wander, asking 
Of earth and heaven, where are they 
Beneath whose smiles we once lay basking 
Blest, and thinking bliss would stay? 



14:0 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL, 

Hope still lifts her radiant linger 
Pointing to the eternal home 
Upon whose portal yet they linger, 
Looking back for us to come. 

Moore. 

From Brutus's Harangue over the Dead Body of Lucretia. 

Thus, thus my friends ! fast as our breaking hearts 
Permitted utterance, we have told our story; 
And now, to say one word of the imposture— 
The mask, necessity has made me wear. 
When the ferocious malice of your king, — 
King! do I call himV — when the monster, Tarquin, 
Slew, as most of you may well remember. 
My father, Marcus, and my elder brother. 
Envying at once their virtues and their wealth, 
How could I hope shelter from his power. 
But in the false face I have worn so long? • 
Say — would you seek instructions : would you seek 
What ye should do? Ask ye yon conscious walls 
Which saw his poison'd brother, saw the incest 
Committed there, and they will cry, Revenge 1— 

/. Howard Fayne. 



PLANES or GESTURi:, 



141 



CHAPTER X. 



PLANES OF GESTURE. 



Gesture, has three points of direction: Ascending, 
Horizontal, and Descending. Ascending gesture moves 
from the level of the shoulder toward the zenith. Hor- 
izontal o^esture is the middle between ascendiiio- aiid 
descending. It is even with the shoulder. Descending 
gesture moves from the shoulder to the nadir. Each 
of these may be made toward the front, the oblique, the 
side or hiteral, and the backw^ard oblique. 

The Hand has several different positions or uses. The 
principal uses of the hand are — the Supine, in which the 
palm faces up; the Prone, with the palm down; the 
Vertical, with the palm out; the Index, with the index 
linger extended and most prominent; the Clasped and 
the Clinched. Taking the first letter of each of the 
above we have the follovvinof concise notation of o^esture: 



A. F. ... 


. ascending front . 


A. 0. . . . 


" oblique. 


A. L. . . . 


" lateral. 


A. B. 0. . 


" backward oblique. 


H. F. ... 


.horizontal front. 


H. 0. . . . 


" oblique. 


H. L. ... 


" lateral. 


H. B. 0. . 


" backward oblique. 



142 elemi:nts of expression, vocal and physical. 



D. F. . 


. . . descending front. 


D. 0. .. 


" oblique. 


D. L. . . 


..descending lateral. 


D. B. 0. 


backward oblique 


R. H. . 


. . . right hand. 


L. H. . 


. .left hand. 


B. H. . 


. . both hands. 


S. 


. .supine. 


P. 


. .prone. 


V. 


. . vertical. 


I. 


. . index. 


Cla. 


. .clasped. 


Cli. 


..clinched. 



Ascending gesture belongs to the imagination. It per- 
tains to the- realms of the ideal^ the virtuous^ the noble, 
the heavenly, and, in general, expresses superiority. 

Horizontal gesture belongs to the realm of the intellect. 

It is employed in locating, denoting equality, etc. 

Descending gesture belongs to the will and is used 
therefore in hold assertion and strong resolution. It is 
also used to express inferiority, the baser passions, and, 
in general, things that we scorn or hate. 

Front gestures signify nearness. They are more di- 
rect and personal than the others. 

Oblique gestures are less emphatic than front gest- 
ures. They are used more in generalities. 

Lateral gestures are less emphatic than even the ob- 
lique. They express great extent, universality, etc. 

Backward gesture refers to something remote either 
geographically or chronologically. 



PLANES OF GESTURE. 1J:3 

The supine hand reveals, the prone conceals or imposes^ 
the vertical repels, the index points out, the clasped 
strongly entreats, the clinched shows the existence of 
strong passion. 

These sig-nifications are not to be looked on as specitic. 
They are general and admit of a very liberal interpreta- 
tion. For practice on these different planes of gesture 
and faces of the hand, assume the Unexcited position, let 
the arms hang loosely and entirel}^ decomposed. Now 
raise the arm in the required direction taking care that 
the shoulder leads and each joint unfolds in succession. 
At the emphatic icord Qwd the gesture by a quick turn of 
the wrist. This last movement is known as the ictus of 
the gesture, or the climax. However, be the movement 
of the arm as gracef u as it may be, unless the position 
of the hand harinonizes. the effect will be unpleasant. 

For the expression of ordinary sentiments the hand 
should be gently opened Avith index linger extended, 
thumb slightly bent outward, the other fingers graceful- 
ly curved. They should neither be widely separated 
nor tightly pressed together. 

Carry the right hand through all of the above planes 
of gesture, and. as far as practicable, in all the different 
faces of the hand. Practice the left next, and then both 
together in the same way. The descending vertical 
;ind the dou!)le backward oblique are not practicable. 

In the sentences given below the abbreviations show 
what gestures are appropriate. Where the hand is not 
mentioned, the right is supposed, and where the use is 
not given, the supine is to be understood. 

The Supine Hand. 

This hand may be used in the expression of almost 
any emotion. Jn general, it is used to reveal 



144 ELEMEIVTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Single Supine Hand. 

D. F. 

I demand my right. 

I submit the matter to your decision. 

D. 0. 
There Is no foundation for these assertions. 
What could 1 do in such a state of health? 

D. L. 

Away with such trifling! 

To thine own self be true, 

And it must follow as the night the day, 

Thou canst not then be false to any maa. 

D. B. 0. 

Away with such an abominable Idea. 
Let those who did the deed now look to it. 

H. F. 

Sir, I appeal to you, for you were present. 
This above all, to thine own s<rlf be true. 

H. 0. 
I>o you confess so muchV Give me your hand. 
This is my opinion. Gentlemen. 

H. L. 

Search the latest records and you will find it Inscribed. 
Not that I loved Cassar less, but that I loved Kome more. 

H. B. 0. 

Turning from civilization, lie struclv out into the jungle. 
!Iis past life now appears to him a dream. 



1 



PLANES OF GESICJRE. -1-45 

A. F. 

OliI Jesus, seize my band and lead me home- 
But conquered now, and crushed, I look aloft, 
And sorrow leads me, Father, back to thee. 

A. 0. 

The angels of God w;itcn over us ever. 

The same stars look down upon man that looked upon the 
i^hepherds on the hills of Bethlehem. 

A. L, 

The Dipper, great in size but proportionate to the rest of 
the heavens, is known to everyone. 

The sun, the moon, the stars proclaim His name. 

A. B. 0. 

Our forefathers, men of sterling worth, died for this faith. 

Hurrah 1 Hurrahl great CcPsar comes. 

Both Hands Supine. 
B. H. D. F. 

I am willing to lay down all I possess, at thy command. 

death! where is thy sting"? 

B. H. D. 0. 
Behold me at thy feet I 
We can easily afford to grant this. 

B. H. D. L. 
Broad is the way that leadeth to destruction. 

1 utterly renounce the supposed advantages. 

B. H. H. F. 
I beg of you to consider the consequences of such a decision. 
Here I stand longing ardently for you. 



146 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

B. H. H. 0. 

Friends, 'Eomans, Countrymen, lend me your ears. 
It blesseth him that givas, and him that takes. 

B. H. H. L. 

On every side, we behold evidences of the Creator's gof)d- 
ness. 
The world, from end to end, sends up His praise. 

B. H. A. F. 

Oh, God! we praise tliee. 

Oh, sacred Liberty! I lift my hands to tliee. 

B. E. A. 0. 

The many stars I see were planted by an almighty hand. 
The gathering clouds, Uke meeting armies, come on apace, 

B. H. A. L. 
Not a star glittered in all the firmament. 
Joy? joy- we are safe at last. 

Single Hand Prone, 

The Prone hand is as extensively used as the supine. 
It generally reprtsHes and conceals. 

D. F. 

Down, slave, before me and pay your allegiance. 

Even Genius feels rebuked and subdued, as in the presence 
of higher qualities. 

D. 0. • 

The wild rose grew above that unknown grave. 
Let every true patriot repress such a feeling. 



TLANES OF GESTUKM. 147 

D. L. 

Repentance will cover that sin. 
Tlie noise died away, 

D. B. 0. 

I despise thy threats of harm to me. % 

I utterly contemn and abhor such dealings. 

O Hamlet 1 speak no more. 

Far ahead we saw the smoke of a great steamer. 

H. 0. 

Friendship has a power, 

To soothe affliction in her darkest hour. 

Peace, dreamer, thou hast done well. 

H. L. 

The landscape fades from view. 

No more shall melancholy brood therin. 

H. B. 0. 

The dread visitation from God was come upon Gomorrali. 

Looking back to your deeds of yesterday, have you not 
much to dread? 

A. F. 

He has suspended the sword above you. 
Forbear, pollute not that sacred name. 

A. 0. 

Ye gods, withhold your wrath. •' ■ 

The rising- sun put out the stars. 



14^8 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

A. L. 

Dou you see that dark cloud over there? 
The top of yon high mount we gained. 

A. B. 0. 

The Decalogue was given amidst Sinai's thunder. 

ISTo other institution carries the mind bacl<: to the time 
when the home of the Chi'iotian was, a catacomb. 

Both' Hands Prone. 

B. H. D. F. 

Here we gently laid him down and covered him. 
I saw before me the mutilated corpse. 

B. H. D. 0. 

Down with all such sentiments forever. 
Frail men! bow down your necl^s to his yoke. 

B. H. D. L. 

In the graves of every nation lie unknown heroes. 
.Time, in his onward marcli, destroys all the works of man, 

B. H. H. F. 
On horror's head, horrors accumulate. 
My blessing rest on you. 

B. H. H. 0. 

Night closed over the city. 

Heaven blast your hopes with its heavy curse. 

B. H. H. L. 

O'er all the world darkness reigns supreme. 
Sorrow mantles the vvhole earth. 



PLANES OF GESTUEE. 149 

B. H. A. F. 

Withljold the chastisemeDt we deserve. 
Forever blessed be Thy sacred name! 

B. H. A. 0. 

The mantle of darkness lifted, and light was. 
Hover o'er us in the storms of life. 

B. H. A. L. 

From end to end of the universe, God reigns. 
The floor of heaven is bestrewn with g'olden stars. 

The Vertical Hand. 

This hand isused to denote a warding off. The Su- 
pine o'eiierally supports, the Prone represses, the Ver- 
tical repels. 

Single Vertical Hand. 

H. F. 

Out of my sight! 

H. 0. 
Drive back the bold invnders. 

H. L. 
Away with such vile measures. 

H. B. 0. 
Follow not: I'll have no speaking. 

A. F. 
Withhold Thy justice; grant me mercy 



150 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND rHYSKAL. 

A. 0. 

Oh, Heaven! forbid such a deed. 

A. L. 

Away, delusive phantom ! 

A. B. 0. 

Hence, horrible shadow! 
Unreal m(»ckery, hence! 

/ B. H. H. F. 

Whence and what art thou, execrable shape? 

B. H. H. 0. 
Far from us be such a thought. 

B. H. H. L. 
Bursts the wild storm of terror and dismay. 

B. H. A. F. 
Avert, O God, the frown of thy indignation! 

B. H. A. 0. 
Angels and ministers of grace, defend us! 

B. H. A. L. 
Melt and dispel ye spectre doubts. 

The Index Hand. 

This form of ^'estiire is r.sed to limit the desigTiatino- 
gesture. Compare the following examples and the 
difference of use will be more obvious. 

H. 0. P. 

Let us go over tlie whole ground once more! 



PLANES OF GESTURE. 151 

H. F. I. 

Let us dwell on this point in particular. 

I. A, F. 
That point is beyond your reach. 

I. A. 0. 
From yonder point I have often gazed at the sea. 

L A. L. 

Do you see the eagle's nest far to our right? 

I. A. B. 0. 

I ask you to glance at that brightest page in our Church's 
annals. ' 

I. H. F. 

That point I will prove thus. 

L H. 0. 
On yonder house they nailed the placard. 

I. H. L. 

In that mount lies a forgotten race. 

I. H. B. 0. 

For proof of this, look to the days of the penal laws of 
Ireland. 

I. D. F. 

Lie there till the bugle arouses thee. 

I. D. 0. 
Thou creeping serpent, graceful in all thy movements! 

I. D. L. 
He lay here aside of the road. 



152 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION^ VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

I. D. B. 0. 

You remain behind or you will rue it. 

The Clasped Hand. 

This position denotes great emotion. It is used in 
earnest entreaty, supplication, etc. The fingers of the 
right hand are intertwined with those of the left. 
A>(*eii(ling and descending front gestures may be made 
with the Clasped Hands. 

A. F. 

.For God's sake spare me. 

D. F. 
All is now lost; I await your sentence. 

The Clinched Hand 

This is used where great emphasis is to be expressed. 

Strong dennnciation with threats, des'peration. resolu- 
tion, etc., take this mode of expression; e. g. , 

We will win the day or perish. 

I'll have my bond. 

With this little hand I will crush his power. 

Practice on these sentences, jis was mentioned before, 
taking care to grasp the sentiment, and portray it as if 
it were your own. Mechanical gesture will thus be 
avoided. We insert here also a number of extracts 
w''ich the student is to interpret and portray by appro- 
priate gesture. 



PLANES OF GESTURE. 153 

GENEBAL EXAMPLES. 

From Julius Caesar. Act IL 

O conspiracy! 
Shamest tliou to show thy dangerous brow by night 
When evils are most free? O then, by day, 
Wliere wilt thou find a cavern dark enough 
To mask thy monstrous visage? Seek none, conspiracy; 
Hide it in smiles and affability; 
For if Ihou put thy native semblance on, 
^N'ot Erebus itself were dim enough 
: hide thee from prevention. 

Shakespeare. 

From St. Herculanus. 

Dow^n from far Gothland's icy coasts 
Sweep Totila's resistless hosts. 
He dooms Perugia's walls and towers, 
And girds her round with ruthless powers. 

Leo XIIL 

From Hamlet. Act Z 

O that this too too solid flesh would melt, 

Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! 

Or that the Everlasting had not fixed 

His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O ! God ! O God ! 

How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable 

Seem to me all the uses of this v/orld ! 

Fie on't ! O fie ! 'tis an unweeded garden, 

That grows to seed: things rank and gross in nature 

Possess it merely That it should come to this ! 

But two months dead! — nay, not so much, not two; 

So excellent a king; that was, to this 

Hyperion to a satyr: so loving to my mother, 

That he might not beteem the winds of heaven 

Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth! 



154 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL 

Must I remember? why, she would hang on him, 

As if increase of appetite had grown 

By what it fed on : and yet, within a month, — 

Let me not think on't;— Frailty, thy name is woman! 

A little month; or ere those shoes were old, 

With which she folio w'd my poor father's body, 

Like IS^iobe, all tears:— why she, even she,— 

O heaven! a beast, that wants discourse of reason 

Would have mourn'd longer, — married with my uncle 

My father's brother; but no more like my father. 

Than I to Hercules : within a month: 

Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears 

Had left the flushing in her galled eyes, 

She married. 



From Lalla Rookh. 



"What! while our arms can wield these blades, 
"Shall we die tamely? die alone? 
"Without one victim to our shades, 
"One Moslem heart, where, buried deep, 
"The sabre from its toil may sleep? 
"]No — God of Iran's burning skies! 
"Thou scorn 'st th' inglorious sacrifice. 
"No— though of all earth's hope bereft, 
"Life, swords, and vengeance still are lefi>- 
"We'll make yon valley's reeking caves 
"Live in the awe-struck minds of men, 
"Till tyrants sliudder, when their slaves 
"Tell of the Gheber's bloody glen. 
"Follow, brave hearts! — this pile remains 
"Our refuge still from life and chains; 
"But his the best, the holiest bed, 
"Who sinks entomb'd in Moslem dead!" 

Moore. 



PLANES OF GESTURE. 155 

From Antony and Cleopatra. Act V. 

O Antony! 
Have I follow'd thee to this? — but we do lance 
Diseases in our body. I must perforce 
Have shown to thee such a declining day, 
Or look on thine: we could not stall together 
In the whole world. But yet let me lament, 
With tears as sovereign as the blood of hearts, 
That thou my brother, my competitor 
In top of all design, my mate in empire, 
Friend and companion in the front of war. 
The arm of mine own body, and the heart 
Where mine his thoughts did kindle, that our stars, 
Unreconcileable should divide 
Our equalness to this.— 

Shakespeare. 

From Love's Prisoner. 

Keposing in his altar-home — 
Imprisoned there for love of me — 

My Spouse awaits me; and I come 
To visit Him awhile, and be 

A solace to his loneliness — 
If aught in me can make it less. 

mil 



From Richard III. Act 1. 

Erroneous vassal ! the great King of kings 
Hath in the table of His law commanded. 
That thou shalt do no murder : will you, then. 
Spurn at His edict, and fulfill man's? 
Take heed : for He holds vengeance in His hand. 
To hurl upon their heads that breaks His law. 

Shakespeare. 



156 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 
From Milly's Expiation. 

There are times when all these terrors 

Seem to fade, and fade away, 
Like a nightmare's ghastly presence 

In the truthful dawn of day. 
There are times, too, when before me 

They arise, and seem to hold 
In their grasp my very being 

With the deadly strength of old, 
Till my spirit quails within me, 

AndTny very heart grows cold. 

Adelaide A. Procter, 



rrom The Tempest. Act IV. 

These our actors, 
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and 
Are melted into air, into thin air: 
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision. 
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, 
The solemn temples, the great globe itself: 
Yea, all which it inherit shall dissolve. 

Shalcespeare. 



From Yesterday. 

Gone! and they return no more, 
But they 'leave a light in the heart: 

The murmur of waves that kiss a shore 
Will never, I know, depart. 

Gone! yet with us still they stay, 
And their memories throb through life: 

The music that hushes or stirs to-day, 
Is toned by their calmer strife. 

Fath&r Ryan. 



PLANES OF GESTURE. 157 

From Twelfth Night. Act I. 

If music be the food of love, play on, 
Give me excess of it ; tliat, surfeiting, 
The appetite may sicken and so die, — 
That strain again; it had a dying fall : 
O, it came o'er my ear like the sweet south, 
That breathes upon a bank of violets, 
Stealing, and giving odor. 

Shakespeare. 

From A Voice from Afar. 

A sea before 
The throne is spread : its pure still glass 
Pictures all earth-scenes as they pass ; 

We on its shore 
Share, in the bosom of our rest, 
God's knowledge, and are bless'd. 

Newman. 

From Two Gentlemen of Verona. Act V. 

Who by repentance is not satisfied, 
Is not of heaven nor earth. 

iShaJcespeare. 

From The Sister of Charity. 

Her down-bed, a pallet— her trinkets, a bead. 
Her lustre — one taper, that serves her to read: 
Her sculpture— the crucilix nailed by her bed: 
Her paintings— one print of the thorn-crowned head ; 
Her cushion — the pavement that wearies her knees; 
Her music— the psalm, or the sigh of disease: 
The delicate lady lives mortllied there, 
And the feast is forsaken for fasting and prayer. 

Gerald Griffin. 



158 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION. VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 
From Winter's Tale. Act III. 

But, O thou tyrant ! 
Do not repent these things ; for they are heavier 
Than all thy woes can stir: therefore betake thee, 
To nothing- but despair. A thousand knees 
Ten thousand years together, naked, fasting, 
Upon a barren mountain, and sfcill winter 
In storm perpetual, could not move the gods 
To look that way thou wert. 

Shakespeare. 

From The Diver. , 

Soon one of these monsters approached me, and plied 

His hundred feelers to drag 
Me down through the darkness : when, springing aside, 

I abandoned my hold of the coral crag. 
And the maelstrom grasped me with arms of strength, 

And upwhirled and upbore me to daylight at length. 

/. C. Mang'an. 

From King Lear. Act III. 

Blow, wind, and crack your cheeks! rage I blow! 

You cataracts and hurricanoes spout 

Till you have drench'd our steeples, drowned the cocks! 

You sulphurous and thought-executing fires, 

Vaunt couriers to oak-cleaving thunderbolts, 

Singe my white head: And thou, all-shaking thunder, 

Strike flat the thick rotundity o' the world! 



Kumble thy bellyful! Spit, fire! spout, rain! 
Nor rain, wind, thunder, fire, are my daughters: 
I tax you not, you elements with unkindness, 
I never gave you kingdom, call'd you children, 
You owe me no subscription : why then, let fall 
Your horrible pleasure: here I stand, your slave, 



PLANES OF GESTURE. 159 

A poor, infirm, weak, and despis'd old man:— 
But yet I call you servile ministers, 
That have with two pernicious daughters join'd 
Your high-engender'd battles 'gainst a head 
*^o old and white as this, O! O! 'tis foul! 

ShaJcespear-; 

From Stella Matutina. 

Cerulean Ocean, fringed with white, 
Tliat wear'st her colors evermore, 

In all thy pureness, all thy might. 
Resound her name from shore to shore. 

That fringe of foam, when drops the sun 
To-night, a sanguine stain shall wear: — 

Thus Mary's heart had strength, alone. 
The passion of her Lord to share. 

Aubrey De Vere. 

From Macbeth. Act II. 

Is this a dagger which I see before me, 
The batidle toward my hand? come let me clutch thee: — 
1 have thee not, and yet 1 see thee still. 
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible 
To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but 
A dagger of the mind; a false creation, 
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed braiii? 
I see thee yet, in form as palpable 
As this which -now I draw. 
Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going, 
And such an instrument I was to use. 
Mine eyes are made the fools o' the other senses, 
Or else worth all the rest ; I see thee still; 
And on thy blade, and dudgeon, gouts of blood. 
Which was not so before.— There's no such thin;:-: 
It is the bloody business, which informs 
Thus to mine eyes. 

Shal-cspea re. 



lf)(l ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 
From Ireland's Vow. 

List! scarce a sound can be heard in our tliorough-f a res- 
Look! scarce a ship can be seen on our streams ; 

Heart-crushed and desolate, spell -bound, irresolute, 
Ireland but lives in the bygone of dreams! 

Irishmen! if we be true to our promises, 
Nerving our souls for more fortunate hours, 

Life's choicest blessings, love's fond caressings. 
Peace, home and happiness, all shall be our^! 

D. F.M'rarhy. 

From Timon of Athens. Act F. 

Come not to me again : but say to Athens, 
Timon hath made his everlasting mansion 
Upon the beached verge of the salt flood ; 
Which once a day with his embossed froth 
The turbulent surge shall cover; thither come. 
And let my grave-stone be your oracle.— 

Sliakeapeare. 

From The Penitent Raven. 

The Raven's nest is built with reeds. 

Sing woe, and alas is me I 
And the Raven's couch is spread with weed.i, 

High on the hollow tree ; 
And the Raven himself, telling his beads 
In penance for his past misdeeds, 

Upon the top I see. 

Telling his beads from night to morn, — 

Sing alas! and woe is mei 
In penance for stealing the Abbot's corn, 

High on the hollow tree. 
Sin is a load upon the breast. 
And it nightly breaks the Raven's rest. 

High on the hollow tree. 

T. D. M'Gee. 



PLANES OF GESTURE. 161 

From Titus Andronicus. Act III. 

Hear me. gra/e fathers! noble tribunes, stay 
For pity of mine age, whose youth was spent 
In dangerous wars, wliilst you securely slept; 
For all my blood in Rome's great quarrel shed; 
For all the frosty nights that I have watch 'd; 
And for these bitter tears, which now you see 
Filling the aged wrinkles in my cheeks; 
Be pitiful to my condemned sons. 

Shakespeare. 

From Troilus and Cressida. Act III. 



Where one but goes abreast : keep, then, the path : 

For emulation hath a thousand sons. 

That one by one pursue : if you give way. 

Or edge aside from the direct forthright. 

Like to an enter'd tide, they all rush by, 

And leave you hindmost. 

Shakespeare. 

From The Hidden Gem. 

Farewell, sycophant! farewell, indeed? 

No, not yet.— 

There shall be moaning over death in this house, before I 
go to encounter it. After this cruel doom, who will blame 
me, if I seek to escape it? Yet liere again comes the question 
—who is doing this? Proculus. Then ought not my vengeance 
tofallonhimy Warily (calmly— let us weigh this. 

If. Proculus dies— E use bins would be worse. Now, if Eu- 
phemian dies, it is very different. We know that by his will 
he has released all his slaves. So let him die and I am free. 

But is this generous? or honorable? tut, but: who has 
ever been generous, or honorable with me? and am I to begin 
virtues first? Out upon it— no! 



162 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION. VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Yet the thing must be done cautiously, securely. It is an 
ugly thing, is killing, even in revenge. One must throw a 
veil over it — make it appear lil^e an accident, even to one's 
self. Hal happy combination— L kn()\^ hov^^ at once to pro- 
cure bhe necessary means, and then— the pilgrim who is go- 
ing to sleep tliere—Capitall What more likely? He has some 
design, no doubt— and he will be the only person near. A 
train can be easily laid to bring it home to him.— Bravo, Bib- 
ulus, thou art a clever liand at miscliief . — By one blow thou 
Shalt gain liberty, security and reYengel— Cardinal Wiseman. 

From Coriolanus. Act V. 

Measureless liar, thou hast made»my heart 
Too great for what contains it. Boy! O slave!— 

* * * 

Cut me to pieces Yolsces : Men and lads, 
Stril.i all your edges on me. Boy! False hound! 
If you have writ your annals true, 'tis there, 
That like an eagle in a dove-cote, I 
Flutter'd your Volscians in Corioli : 
Alone I did it.— Boy! 

Shakespeare. 

From The Death of Our Lady. 

Weep, ^living things! the mother dies ; 

The world dotli lose the sum of all her bliss, 
The queen of earth, the empress of the skies; 

By Mary's death mankind an orphan is. 
Let nature weep, yea, let all graces moan ; 
Their glory, grace, and gifts die all in one. 

Southwell. 

From The Merchant of Venice. Act 1. 

Signior Antonio, many a time and oft, 
On the Rialto you have rated me 



PLANES OF GESTURE. 163 

About my money and my usances: 

Still have 1 borne it with a pr.tient shrug; 

For suTt'erance is the badge of all our tribe ; 

You call'd me— misbeliever, cut-thioat dog, 

And spit upon my Jewish gaberdine, 

And all for use of that which is my own. 

Well then, it now appears, you need my help: 

G-o to then; you come to me. and you say, 

•'Shylock, we would have monies:" you say so; 

You, that did void your rheum upon my beard, 

And foot me as you spurn a stranger cur 

Over your tliresliold; monies is your suit; 

What should I say to you! should 1 not say 

'•Hat 11 a dog money? is it possible 

A cur can lend three thousand ducats?" or 

Shall 1 bend low, and in a bondman's key, 

With 'biLted breatli, and whispering humbleness, 

Say this: — 

"Fair sir, you spit on me on W^ednesday last; 

You spurned me such a day: another time 

You call'd me— dog: and for those courtesies 

I'll lend you thus much monies?" 



bhdkespeare. 



From On Hope. 



Dear Hopel earth's dowry and heaven's debt 
Tlie entity of things that are not yet: 

Fair cloud of lire', both shade and light, 

Our life in death, our day in i..ght: 
Fates cannot find out a capacity 
Of hurting thee. 

Crashaiu. 

From A Midsummer Night's Dream. Act IV. 

I was with Hercules and Cadmus once. 
When in a wood of Crete they bay'd the bear 
With hounds of Sparta: never did 1 hear 



l;'i ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Such p-nllant chiding; for, besides the groves, 
The skies, the fountains, every region near 
Seem'd all one mutual cry: 1 never her.rd 
So musical a discord, such sweet thunder. 

Shakespeare. 



From On Milton. 

Three poets, in three distant ages born, 
Greece, Italy, and Enghmd did adorn. 
The first in loftiness of thouglit surpassed: 
The next in majesty; in botii tlie last. 
The force of Nature could no further go; 
To make a third, she joined the other two. 

Dryden. 

From Much Ado about Nothing. Act V. 

The wolves have prey'd; and look, the gentle day. 
Before the wheels of Phoebus, round about 
Dapples the drowsy east with spots of gray. 

Shakespeare. 

From Essay on Criticism. 

Still green with bays each ancient altar stands 

Above the. reach of sacrilegious liands; 

Secure from flames, from envy's tlercer rage. 

Destructive war. and all involving age. 

See from each clime the learned their incense bring! 

Hear in all tongues consenting pjeans ring! 

In praise so juU let every voice be joined, 

And fill the general chorus of mankind. 

Hail, bards 1 riumphant! born in happier days, 

Immortal heirs of universal praise I 

Pope. 



PLANES OF GESTURE. , 1()5 

From Taming of the Shrew. Act IV. 

For 'tis the mind that makes blie body rich: 
And as the sun breaks through the darkest clouds, 
So honour peereth in the meanest habit. 
What: is the jay more precious tlian the lark, 
Because his feathers are more beautiful? 
Or is the adder better than the eel. 
Because his painted skin contents tlie eyes? 
O, no, good Kate: neither art thou tlie. worse 
For this poor furniture and mean array. 

t^hakes})care. 

From A Ballad of Iscander-Teg. 

"St, Michael stands upon my right, 

Therefore 1 have no fear: 
When he shall cease his holy fight 

My end will then be near.'' 
Thus spake the brave George Castriot 
Albania's Christian k night, 
Who once with 3Ioolems cast his lot, 
(With those who love our Jesus not.) 

They called him bv another name— 

The hateful Moslem crew!— 
Iscander-Begl Tliey knew his fame. 

And deep that fame tliey rue. 
To-day, beside the Golden Horn, 
Full many a Moslem dame 
Most sore alf rights her latest boin 
With that bright name that Christians mourn. 

3L F. Ego.n, 

From All's Well That Ends Well. Act I* 

Be thou blest, Bertram I and succeed thy father 
In manners, as in shape! thy blood and virtue. 



166 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL 

Contend for empire in thee : and thy goodness 
Share with thy birth-right I 

Sliakesiyeare. 

From The Banner of the Holy Family. 

To arms I to arms ! for God our King! 
Harlc how the sounds of battle ringl 
Unfold the Banner! Eaise it high, 
Dear omen of our victory! 
We come, our hands and hearts we bring; 
We come, and Sion's song we sing 
Unto the Holy Family! 

Father Falter, 

From As You Like It. Act II. 

All the world's a stage, 
And all the men and women merely players ; 
They have their exits and their entrances; 
And one man in his time plays many parts, 
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant, 
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms; 
And then, the whining school-boy, with his satchel, 
And shining morning face, creeping like snail 
Unwillingly to school; and then, the lover. 
Sighing like furnace, with a woful ballad 
Made to his mistress' eye-brow. Then a soldier. 
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like I he pard, . 
Jealous in horiout. sudden and quick in quarrel, 
Seeking the bubble reputation 

Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice; 
In fair round belly, with good capon lined. 
With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut. 
Full of wise saws and modern instances; 
And^so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts 
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon: 
With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side. 
His youthful hose well sav'd, a world too wide 
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice, 



PLANES OF GESTURE. IG? 

Turning again towards childish treble, pipes 
And whistles in his sound : Last scene of all, 
That ends this strange eventful history, 
Is second childishness, and mere oblivion: 
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything. 

ShaJi:espeare. 

From Rachel in the North. 

Out on the cruel field he lies, dear God! 
Wliom three night's gone I pillowed safe and warm. 
Thinking the down scarce soft enough.— the sod, 
Alas! the bloody sod now beds his form. 

I watch— I wait. I had such hopes and schemes 
Of what might be if lie were home once more. 
Fame! glory! perish— empty, hollow dreams! 
My glory's dead. And this, O Heaven, is war! 

Eleanor C. Donnelly. 

From The Comedy of Errors. Act V. 

Though now this grained face of mine be liid 
In sap-consuming winter's drizzled snow, 
And all the conduits of my blood froze up; 
Yet hath night of life some memory. 
My dull deaf ears a little use to liear : 
My wasting lamp some fading glimmer left. 
All these old witnesses (i cannot err) 
Tell me, thou art my sou Antipholus. 

ISliakespeare. 

From Campion. Act I. 
Campion. Why did 1 hide? What was that t)f mine? 
If Truth must walk erect, oh! then, my lords, 
Be not so cruel; and straight way destroy 
The bloody edicts that affright her so. 
But once set free the holy word of God ; 
Throw wide these gates, and I will hasten forth 



168 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Through all the streets, by which I hither came. 
In sight of all who sit in darl-cn.-ss there, 
I'll hold erect my head— unfold my heart, 
Which pants to blazon forth the truth of Rome. 
Nay, more, bid come the champions of your '/hurch, 
Free from all wrat h, like truly Christian mc., 
To hold dispute within the sight of all; 
And let Her Royal Grace Ij 3rself preside. 
Then she, my lords, and you, and all the court 
Shall know if what I preach do shun the light. 

Morgan. 

From Measure for Measure. Act II. 

That in the captain's but a choleric word, 
Which in the soldier is flat jlaspheiuy. 

,i'iaikespeare. 

From Major John Andre. Act 11. 

Arnold. Benedict Arnold, thou art a Traitor! TIiou hast 
sold thy honor, the Jood and freedom of thy countrymea for 
a handful of gold ! Great Heavens ! has it come to this? Did 
I imagine wlien 1 first began my profligate life that it would 
end in treachery? Arnold the Traitor! What a name? And 
shall mine go down to posterity so? Traitor branded on my 
forehead:— Could my gallant father see me now, what would 
he say? Mot hinks his bones are restless in the cold, grave to 
think his s;)ik his once dhirli ng boy, has become the cruel be- 
trayer of hi ;)eople ! Arnold tiie Traitor! So the child, yet 
unborn, will read in his country's history. Generations yet 
to come will lea n my name but to curse it as the cause of the 
chains which shackle their freedom. Arnold the Traitor! Is 
it for this thou didst ttght and bleed so long? Is it for this, 
thou for five long years didst lead thy countrymen, and see 
them die with a smile upon their lips, because it was for lib- 
erty? Is it for thi^ thou didst cross the country, enter Cana- 
da, brave the onci hated British,— mock at its northern cold! 
Ah ! how my soldiers, ill-clothed and starving as they were, 
would greet my iiopeful glance! How they once cheered for 



PLANES OF GESTURE. 169 

Benedict Arnold! Now they will curse me, execrate the mem- 
ory of their country's betrayer! But hold! the crime is not 
yet consummated; I have still time to retrace my steps— An- 
dre is yet here. I will go to him, cast the money at his feet, 
regain my papers and my honor! Yet how can I recall my 
plighted word! How pay my debts, how continue my profli- 
gate life, without English money? No! I cannot relinquish 
my mode of life ! Have I not been disgraced by Congress? 
Have not others been preferred before me? Actuated by 
jealousy and secret hatred, my superiors in ollice, a few 
months ago, removed me from my comfortable quarters in 
Philadelphia, and put me on these hills. Yes, my actions, 
my deeds of valor, my genius, have been undervalued. I have 
suffered insults from the very persons my victories raised to 
power! Money and Revenge! Let others curse me, let future 
generations spit upon my memory, I will have money! I can 
not change my manner of living. They may brand my re- 
ward as the price of blood, of liberty; I call it the means of 
pleasure. Arnold thou must go on; to retreat now would be 
the action of a coward! Money and Revenge! — Bishop Haid. 



From Othello. Act II. 

Othello. O, that the slave had forty thousand lives! 
One is too poor, too wealc for my revenge. 
Now do I see 'tis true. — Look here Iag6: 
All my fond love thus do I blow to heaven: 'tis gone. — 
Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow cell! 
Yield up, O Love! thy crown and hearted throne. 
To tyrannous hate! swell, bosom, with thy fraught. 
For 't is of aspics' tongues! 

Shakespeare. 

From The Malediction. Act 11. 

My father has cursed me, and his curse has penetrated the 
marrow of my bones. Where is my father? He has not yet 
been put to death? What do you wish, Tarik? I was the son 



170 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

of Gomez, but thou call'st me Almanzor. I am king of Mur- 
cia! Let the people offer me homage. Prostrate at my feet, 
I wish to behold them from the summit of my throne. What 
have I said. Lopes? Ha, Ha, Ha! Have you seen Pelagius? 
I will bathe myself in his vile blood; I will plunge my 
hand into the depths of his entrails; I will crush his hoary 
head. How beautiful are the heavens ! Mahomet alone is 
great I Why, then, Abdallah, did you not efface these crosses 
from the walls? I was also a Christian! Why does this awful 
cross arise before my eyes? I see— 1 see the Imm.aculate Vir- 
gin trampling the crescent beneath her feet — and now! oh. 
hence! awful vision; hence! Ah Lopez, do you see the hand 
that threatens me? 

You, also, does it menace. Come! away! Let us flee. — O 
God I upon the air, upon the walls, upon my heart is written, 
'•Cursed! cursed! cursed!" — Lyons. 

From King Richard II. Act III. 

Am I not king? 
Awake, thou sluggard majesty! thou sleep'st. 
Is not the king's name forty thousand names? 
Arm, arm, my name!— A puny subject strikes 
At thy great glory. Look nob to the ground, 
Ye favourites of a king: are we not high? 
High be our thoughts. 

Shakespeare. 

From Henry VIII. Act. III. 

Wolsey. Cromwell, I did not think to shed a tear 
In all my miseries ; but thou hast forc'd me 
Out of thy honest truth to play the woman. 
Let's dry our eyes; and thus far hear me, Cromwell; 
And,^ — when I am forgotten, as I shall be. 
And sleep in dull cold marble, where no mention 
Of me more must be heard of, say I taught thee. 
Say, Wolsey, that once trod the ways of glory, 
And sounded all the depths and shoals of honor,— 



PLANES OF GESTURE- 171 

Found tliee a way, out of his wreck, to rise in ; 
A sure and safe one, though thy master miss'd it. 
Mark but my fall, and thab that ruin'd me. 
Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition; 
By that sin fell the angels; how can man then, 
The image of his Maker, hope to win by 't? 
Love thyself last; cherish those hearts that hate thee. 
Corruption wins not more than honesty. 
Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace. 
To silence envious tongues. Be just and fear not: 
Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's, 
Thy God's, and truth's; then, if thou fall'st, O Crom- 
well, 
Thou fall'st a blessed martyr. Serve thy king; 
And,— pr'ythee, lead me in; 
There take an inventory of all I have, 
To the last penny: 'tis the king's: my robe, 
And my integrity in Heaven, is all 
I dare now call mine own. O Cromwell, Cromwell, 
Had I but serv'd my God wqth half the zeal 
I serv'd my king, he would not in mine age 
Have left me naked to mine enemies. 

iShakespeare. 



172 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL 



CHAPTER XI 



EMPHASIS. 

SECTION I. 

Any sentence includes one or more important words. 
These vital words of the sentence, these words contain- 
ing the thought, for the expression of which the sen- 
tence has been formed, are termed emphatic, and Em- 
phasis is the agent that confers on them their due 
degree of prominence. 

Emphasis, however, is not an element of expression, 
but is the application of any vocal element to particiihir 
words or clauses. From this it is manifest that Empha- 
sis employs no uniform method. 

Some aver that the most significant words must al- 
ways re('eive special force, or energy of voice — thereby 
confining emphasis to a monotonous mode, and making 
it and stress identical. True, emphasis, in a large 
measure, is to words, what a.ccent is to syllables; l)ut 
unlike accent, it does not depend tuJioUy on stress for 
the execution of commands, but can, with equal right, 
call upon any vocal element and be promptly obeyed. 
In short. Emphasis is the sovereign of all elocutionary 
elements, and they may all exclaim. 



EMPHASIS. 173 

Your Highness^ part 
Is to recieve our duties: and our duties 
Are to your throne and state, children and servants; 
Which do hut what they should by doing everything 
Safe toward your love and honor. Shakespeare. 

Hence, whoever has command of emphasis has master- 
dom of elocution. 

That we may be able to give just emphasis, we must 

possess a clear conception of whatever we try to inter- 

' pret. This is proven by the fact that in unconstrained 

conversation, anyone emphasizes correctly, because he 

understands clearly what he wishes to say. 

Emphasis and Sense are mutually dependent. 

To illustrate this principle, let us apply it to the sen- 
tence, 

My teacher is very kind. 

This sentence contains only five words and, yet, is sus- 
ceptible of five various senses. 

If several boys, from divers schools, should engage in 
conversation concerning their respective teachers, each 
one would "my" his teacher. If an inquisitive passer- 
by should catch the last words only, his curiosity would 
be kindled, and, stopping, he would ask "who*' was so 
very kind? Whereupon the bravest and frankest of the 
group answers, "My teacher. " The answer adds fuel 
to the stranger's curiosity, and he immediately asks the 
name of the teacher. Being informed it is Mr. Birch, 
he says with an incredulous air, to the intense satisfac- 
tion of the young spokesman's titterino companions, 
"He must have changed a great deal." 

The just anger of the boy is aroused, and he repeats 
with increased emphasis, "Well, he is very kind." The 
memory of the questioner now carries him back to 



ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL- 

former days, when this same kind teacher checked his 
curiosity with the birch of justice, and he responds 
abstractedly, ''He gave punishments enough in his 
younger days, and often 'swayed the rod of enijiiie 
over' — any way a little kindness will not harm him 
or his pupils seriously." 

The boy, strong in the good cause he is defendin'j, 
unwilling to grant ought that may detract from a teach- 
er whose even kindness has endeared him to all, repeats 
with greater force, "My teacher is very kind." The 
stranger, anxious to leave, for a crowd is gathering, 
desires to confound the boy by a heavy retort, and 
says, "Owinfi: to his advanced age, perhaps, he is be- 
coming neghgent, and possibly lenient. But, my young 
man, there is a vast difference between kindness and 
lenity. Lenity, you know," 

''All I know," the boy's ardor interrupts, "is that 
my teacher is very kind." 

The stranger's curiosity seems satisfied; he departs, 
and the young hero is champion of the field. The 
weapon he used was just emphasis. Each change of 
emphasis, in the aboVe sentences, effected a like change 
of meaning; proving that Emphasis and Sense are 
mutually dependent. 

Let us now examine the sentence. 

Love is stronger than the grave; jealousy, more 

CRUEL. 

As it stands, love, stronger, grave, jealousy, and cruel, 
would receive emphasis. But if some misanthrope 
should deny the first part of your statement, you would 
immediately display the firmness of your conviction 
in what you said by affirming, "Love is stronger than 
the grave. " If some one asked you to point out brief- 



MPHASIS. ■ 175 

ly wherein love differed from jealousy^ you would say, 

Love is stronger than the grave; jealousy, more cruel. 
Analyze the following sentence similarly. — 
That man deserves lasting renown. 

What will the meaning be if you place the chief em- 
phasis on man, on that, on renown? What word would 
you emphasize and hoiu^ to indicate that your hero mer- 
■ its lasting fame, although it will scarcely be accorded 
him? 

Similar sentences should be given by the teacher in 
order to accustom the students to "emphatic" anal- 
ysis. 

The following rules are offered to assist the student in 
finding the emphatic words. While no infallible rules 
can be given, correct emphasis being the product of 
good brain- work, yet, the rules here presented will be 
be found welcome and iible aids. 

I. Words containing the leading ideas must receive 
capital emphasis; whereas, those expressing matter com- 
paratively unimportant should be subordinated. 

Example. 

I have done my duty, I stand acquitted to my conscience 

and my country; I have opposed this measure throughout ; 

> > > > 

and now 1 protest against it as harsh, oppresive , uncalled for 

unjust ; as establishing an infamous precedent, by retaliating 

crime against crime : as tyrannou s, cruelly and vindictively 

tyrannous.— 0'Co?meL 



iTo ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION. VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

2. The Chief emphasis is conferred on the words 
which finish the new picture or idea. 

Examples. 

The beautiful world hath its mountains and plains.— Jf. 8. 

Whiiaker. 

By the soft blue waters of Lake Lucerne stands the Chapel 
of William Tell.— T. F. Meagher. 

3. Words expressing or implying contrast deserve 
emphasis. 

Examples. 

He raised a mortal to the skies ; 
She drew an angel down. 

Dryden. 

It was midnight when I listened, 

And I heard two voices speak; 
One was harsh, and stern, and cruel, 

And the other soft and weak 

Adelaide A. Procter. 

To err is human^; to f orgive, divine .— Pope. 

Kear rarries us out of ourselves, shame contines us within 
tlie round of our own thoughts.— iVew;man. 

1 said an elder soldier, not a better . Shakespeare. 

From Creator and Creature. 

Look how the splendors of the Divine Nature gleam far 
and wide, nay intinitely, while the trumpets of heaven blow, 



EMPHASIS. 177 

and the loud acclaims of the untiring creatures greet with 
jubilant amazement the Living Yision ! See how Eternity and 
Immensity entwine their arms in inexplicable embrace, the 
one filling all space, the other outliving all time; the one 
without quantity or limit, the o ther without beginning, end, 
or duration. Behold the understanding and the will, the 
one forever lighting up with such meridian glory the pro- 
found abysses of God's uncircumscribed Truth and illimitable 
Wisdom; the other enfolding for ever in its unconsuming 
fires the incomprehensible life of God, His infinite oceanlike 
expanse of being, and every creature of the countless worlds 
that from His life draw their own.—Fathei^ Faber, 

Get wealth and place, if possible with grace, 
If not, b y any means get wealth and place. 

Pope. 

The contrast in the above couplet is implied. The 
poet desires us to secure wealth, and a good position in 
society, if possible, honestly, so that we may not for- 
feit grace; but, if we find it impossible to gain wealth 
and honor by fair means, we should, according to the 
poet, make use of any means to attain our purpose. 

4. \7ords essential to the idea which the sentence 
tries to convey, are emphatic when first introduced; 
but occurring afterward, are unemphatic because they 
have already made the intended impression on the 
miad. 

Example. 

F'rom a Munster vale they brought her 
From the pure and balmy air, 
An Ormand peasant's daughter 
With blue eyes and golden hair. 



178 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

They brought her to the city, 
And she faded slowly there; 
Consumption has no pity 
For blue eyes and golden hair. 

B. 1). Williams. 

Exception to No. 4. 

Words repeated to deepen the effect on the mind are 
rendered with increased emphasis. 

FxamjJles. 

By foreign hands thy dying eyes were closed, 
By foreign hands thy decent limbs composed, 
By foreign hands thy humble grave adorn 'd 
By strangers honour'd and by strangers mourn 'd ! 

Pope. 

Happy, happy, happy pair! 

None but the brave, 

None but the brave, 

None but the brave deserve the fair, 

5. The indispensable words of sentences are always 
emphatic; words which can be omitted without destroy- 
ing the clearness, are unemphatic. 

Illustration. 
But here I am to speak what I do know. — Shakespeare. 

We might omit "but," "I am," and "do," from this 
sentence, and still be able to gather from the context 
the meaning. It would read: ''Here to speak what I 
know." You will observe it is not classic English, but 
still the sense is not impaired. Hence, the words that 
may be omitted arc unemphatic. 



EMPHASIS. ' 1T9 

An exception to the foregoing occurs when such 
words as "nevertheless," '*atall,'' ''whatever,'' ''not-' 
withstanding," etc., are found in a sentence, as they are 
especially introduced for emphasis. 

I Have Kept I^othing Whatever. 

'•Nothing, "in this sentence, is plainly the most import- 
ant word, for we may say, "I have kept nothing,'" and 
the meaning will not suffer: yet, "whatever" receives 
the chief emphasis. Such words are called ''oratorical 
words" and largely resemble combinations like Declar- 
ation of Independence, Grand Army of the Eepublic, 
Catholic Knights of America, Fellow of the Royal So- 
ciety of Antiquaries, etc. 

Examjjle. 

The Grand Army of t he Eepubli c embraces a body of he- 
roes whose nanies and deeds are inscribed on Liberty's palm. 

\Ye must treat the underlined words as a word of 
nine syllables, giving equal weight to '^ Grand ^^^ ^''Ar- 
m3%'' "Ke/?w51ic," passing gently over the other sylla- 
bles as we dot)ver unaccented syllables in other words. 

But after we have discovered the emphatic words, 
the question arises, liQiu shall we deliver them in order 
to give them the prominence they deserve? 

We must pronounce them in accordance with the 
sentiment they express. 



18(' ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL, 
SECTION II. 

MODES OF EMPHASIS. 

Time, i.e., dwellino^ somewhat louger on certain 
words, is used as a mode of emphasis to express tender 
feeling^ sicblimity, solemnity, admiration, etc. It can 
only he used with words possessing long quantity. 

Examples. 

From King Henry VIII. Act III. 

So farewell to the little good you bear me. 
Farewell, a long farewell to all my greatness, 
This is the state of man ; to-day he puts forth 
The tender leaves of hope, to-morrow blossoms. 

And bears his blushing honors thick upon him; 

O, how wretched 
Is that poor man that hangs on princes' favors ! 

Shak^Sjjeare. 

From Elegiac Stanzas. 

Oh , let not tears embalm my torn 3,— 
None but the dews at twilight given! 
Oh, let not sighs disturb the gloom ,— 
None but the whispering winds of heaven! 

Moore. 

From King John. Act III. 

CrwstMnce. Father Cardinal, I have heard you say. 
That we shall see and know our friends in heaven: 



EMPHASIS. IBl 

If that be true, I shall see my boy again ; 
For, since the birth of Cain, the first male child, 
To him that did but yesterday breathe, 
There was not such a gracious creature born. 
But now will canker sorrow eat my bud. 
And change the native beauty from his cheek, 

And he will look as hollow as a ghost ; 

And so he'll die ; and, rising so again 

I shall not know him ; therefore, never , never , 

Must I behold my pretty Arthur more. 

Shakespeare. 

From Adventures of Telemachus. Book XIV. 

Telemachus had long been disturbed in the night by dreams 
in which he saw his father Ulysses. The vision never failed 
to return at tlie end of the night, just before the approach 
of the Aurora, with her prevailing fires, to chase from heaven 
the doubtful radiance of the stars, and from the earth the 

pleasing delusion of sleep From these pleasing dreams 

Telemachus always awoke dejected and sorrowful. While 
one of them was recent upon his mind he cried out: ' ^O my 
father! O my dear father Ulysses! the most frightful dreams 
would be more welcome to me than these. Those representa- 
tions of felicity convince me tliat thou art already descended 
to the abodes of those happy spirits whom the gods reward 
for their virtue with everlasting rest. I think I behold the 
fields of Elysium! Must I then, O my facher , see thee no 
more forever? Ho w dreadful is the loss of ho])e\—Fenelo7i. 

Force is used with the sterner emotions and in the ex- 
pression of invpassitiied thought. 

The folio win o- examples offer opportunity for em- 



182 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

phasis by Time and Force. Let the student iudicato 
the emphatic words and the means of emphasis. 

From Threnodia Augustalis. 

Calm was his life and quiet was his death. 

Soft as those gentle whispers were 

In which the Almighty did appear; 

By the still voice the prophet knew him there, 

That peace wMch made thy prosperous reign to shine, 

That peace thou leavest to thy imperial line, 

That peace, oh happy shade, be ever thine! 

Bryden. 

From Nature Superior to Science. 

In all physical science we can only be the servants and 
disciples of nature. She must be the absolute mistress, and 
she will not yield one tittle of power to us. By submission 
alone to those laws, which she herself has taught us, can we 
overcome her, Let me now, in order to put this view more 
strikingly before you, imagine a conversation, sucli as has 
often, I dare say, taken place, especially at the commence- 
ment of steam locomotion, in almost every part of the world. 
We will suppose a person, by way of introducing the conver- 
sation, saying of the steam engine: "What a wonderful in- 
vention; how marvelous; to what a pitch has science been 
brought; how completely has she mastered nature and her 
laws! We liave destroyed space, we have cheated time, we 
have invented a piece of mechanism which we have endowed 
with almost vital power, to which we have given all but in- 
telligence ; and how proudly it gr-es on its way 1 

"Hold;" says one wlio has heen listening to this boastful 
speech; "hold! look on yon cloud; it is heavy with tliunder. 
See those flashes, which already break tnrough it— those 
bright lances, each tipped with tire, destructive beyond all 
the power of man; see their direction towards us! Suppose 
that by a law of nature, which you have not repealed, one of 
those strike, and make a wreck of that proud monster 



n 



EMPHASIS. 183 

"Nay," says a third; "I will not consent to a trial like that 
....It is not thus, in a vengeful form, that I will put into 
contrast that great production of man's ingenuity and the 
power of nature. No; I will take the most harmless, the 
most gentle, the most tender thing in her, and I will put 
that against the other. 

What is softer, more beautiful, and more innocent than 
the dew-drop, which does not even discolor the leaf upon 
which it lies at morning; what more graceful, when, multi- 
plied it makes its chalice of the rose, adds sweetness to its 
fragrance, and jewels to its enamel? Expose the steam-en- 
gine but to the action of this little and insignificant agent 
and the metal, although you made a compact with it that it 
should be bright and polished, cares more for the refreshment 
from those drops of dew than it does for you, and it absorbs 
them willingly.". . .Every polished rod, so beautiful and fair, 
is blotched and gangrened. A few drops from heaven have 
conquered the proudest work of man's ingenuity and skill. 

Cardinal Wise7nan. 

Inflexion is one of the most valuable servants of em- 
phasis; the rules laid down elsewhere govern its use. 

Pause, or Phrasing, as a mode of emphasis, is reserved 
for a separate chapter . 

Let the student apply the preceding rules to the ex- 
amples here given. 

Examples. 
From Coriolanus. Act III. 

You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate 
As reek o' the rotten fens, whose loves I prize 
As the dead carcasses of unburied men 
That do corrupt my air, I banish you; 
And here remain with your uncertainty I 
Let every feeble rumour shake your hearts ! 
Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes, 
Fan you into despair! Have the power still 



184: ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION. VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

To banish your defenders; till, at length, 

Your ignorance (which finds not till it feels), 

Making no reservation of yourselves 

(Still your own foes), deliver you, as most 

Abated captives, to some nation 

That won you without blows. iJespising 

For you, the city, thus I turn my biCK ; 

There is a world elsewhere. JShakespeare. 

From Mores Catholici. 

The middle ages were ages of the highest grace to men- 
ages of faith— ages when all Europe was Catholic: when vast 
temples were seen to rise in every place of human concourse, 
to give glory to God, and to exalt men's souls to sanctity; 
when houses of holy peace and order were found amidst 
woods and desolate mountains— on the banks of placid lakes, 
as well as on tiie solitary rocks in the ocean; ages of sanctity 
which w^itnessed a Bede, an Alcuin, a Bernard a Francis, and 
crowds who followed them as they did Christ: ages of vast 
and beneficent intelligence, in which it pleased the Holy 
Spirit to display the power of the seven gifts in the lives 
of an Anselm, a Thomas of Aquinum, and the saintly floc.cs 
whose steps a cloister guarded: ages of the highest civil 
virtue, which gave birth to the laws and institutions of an 
Edward, a Lewis, aSuger: ages of the noblest art, which 
beheld a Giotto, a Michael Angelo. a Ralfaele, a Domenichino; 
ages of poetry, which heard an Avitus, a Ciedmon, a Dante, a 
Shakespeare, a Calderon; ages of more than mortal heroism, 
which produced a Tancred and a Godfrey: ages of majesty, 
which knew a Charlemagne, an Alfred, and tlie sainted youth 
who bore the lily; ages, too, of England's glory, when she 
appears, not even excluding a comparison with the Eastern 
empire, as the most truly civilized country on the globe; 
when the sovereign of the greater portion of the Western 
world applied to her schools for instructors — when she sends 
forth her saints to evangelize the nations of the world, and 
to diffuse spiritual treasure over the whole world— when 
heroes flock to her court to behold the models of reproachless 
chivalry, and emperors leave their thrones to adore at the 
tombs of her martyrs'. — Kenelm H. Diqhq. 



EMPHASIS. 185 

From The Exile's Return. 

Tlie friends whom I loved and cherished have passed away 
ay I every soul. The warm hearts and loving eyes that cheer- 
ed my hoyhood are gone,— the living friends are lost to sight, 
and I miss their enlivening presence, oh! how much ! — but 
the inanimate friends— the old familiar scenes remain. I 
have taken up my abode in the very house of my nativity — 
ruined it is, and desolate, yet it is the shell which contained 
tlie kernel of my affections. The fields are as green, the sky 
as changeful, the mountains as grand, the sacred valley as 
lonesome and solemn, and, above all, the faith and piety of 
the people is still the same, simple, earnest, nothing doubt- 
ing, all- performing. Where I herded my goats, a peasant 
boy. I muse, an old and wrinkled man, on the path of life I 
have trodden. ~I stand at the opposite end of existence, and 
ask myself what is the difference. I have had since what is 
called -'position," I have wealth still— ay! a fortune, but 
what of that — I am old, friendless, childless, and alone, bur- 
dened with harrowing recollections, and ready to sink into 
the grave, unhonored and unknown. — Mrs. Sadlier. 

From History of Rome. 

Coriolanus no sooner beheld Yeturia attired in mourning, 
her eyes bathed in tears, and with a countenance and motion 
that spoke her sinking under a load of sorrow, than he ran 
hastily to her ; and not only calling her mother, but adding 
to that word the most tender epithets, embraced her. wept 

over her. and held her in his arms to prevent her falling 

When some time had been allowed to those silent tears of joy, 
which often flow plenteously at the sudden and unexpected 
meeting of persons dear to each other, Yeturia entered upon 
the business she had undertaken. After many forcible ap- 
•^als to his understanding and patriotism, she exclaimed: 
*'\Vhat frenzy, what madness of anger transports, my son ! 
Heaven is appeased by supplications, vows, and sacrifices: 
f hall mortals be implacable? O Marcius, refuse me not the 
only request, 1 ever made to thee; I will never importune thee 



186 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL- 

with any other. Cease tliy immoderate anger ; be reconciled 
to thy country: this is all I ask; grant me but this, and we 
shall both be happy. Freed from those tempestuous passions 
which now agitate thy soul, and from all the torments of 
self-reproach, thy days will flow smoothly on in sweet sereni- 
ty of conscious virtue: And as for me, if I carry back to 
Rome the hopes of. an approaching peace, an assurance of thy 
being reconciled to thy country, with what transports of joy 
shall I be received I In wliat honor, in what delightful re- 
pose, shall 1 pass the remainder of my life! What immortal 

glory shall I have acquired!" 

The Volscian officers, not able unmoved to behold this 
scene, turned away their eyes: But Coriolanus passionately 
cried out:— "Ah! Mother, what art thou doing:"' And ten- 
derly pressing her band he added in a low voice, "Rome is 
saved, but thy son is losW^— Nathaniel Hook. 



SECTION III. 

OBSERVATIONS. 

Obs. 1. The degree of force, the length of time, the 
height or depth of inflexion, on emphatic words, must be 
chiefly determined by the taste and judgment of the 
reader, aided by the character of the selection. 

For mere narration, the emphasis will be moderate. 
When feeling is united to the narration, the w^ords 
expressing the emotion are brouoht out with more 
vigor and sparkle. 

The following is a choice example ul narration en- 
livened by emotion. 



EMPHASIS. 187 

From Lalla Rook^. 

There stood — but one short league away 

From old Harmozia's sultry bay— 

A rocky mountain, o'er the sea 

Of Oman beetling- awtully; 

A last ana solitary link 

Of those stupendous chains that reach 

From the Caspian's reedy brink 

Down winding to the Green Sea beach 

Thither the vanciuished Hafed led 

His little army's last remains; — 

"Welcome, terrific glen;" he said, 

"Thy gloom, that Elbis' self might dread, 

Is heaven to him who flies from chains," 

O'era dark narrow bridge-way, known 

To him and to his chiefs alone, 

They crossed the chasm and gained the towers— 

"This home,'' he cried, "at least is ours; 

Here — happy that no tyrant's eye 
Gloats on our torments — we may die!" 

Moon. 

01)8. 2. In most sentences, the tone of the voice is 
gradually elevated until the emphatic word is reached, 
and then the voice increases its speed, and gives the 
remaining words in descending. 

ILLUSTRATIONS. 





• 




\> 






.^^ 






\ 







188 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 



/\ 



\^ ^^^ 






*G 









,..^^^ 

6^^^ 



XvO^ 



^^ 






We find the same in pronouncing words, for exam- 
ple, application = he is coining. 






Incomprehensibility = He said that you belied him. 

Obs. 3. In very solemn address and in speaking of 
sombre, repulsive, or despicable things, the tone des- 
cends on the emphatic word. 



EMPHASIS. 189 

Examples. 
From Erin's Flag, 

What though for ages it droops in the dust, 
Shall it droop thus forever? No! No! Grod is just. 

Father Byan. 

From Richard III. Act 1. 

O! I have passed a miserable night, * 
So full of fearful dreams, of ugly sights 
That, as I am a Christian faithful man, 
I would not spend another such a night. 
Though it were to buy a world of happy days. 
So full of dismal terror was the time. 

Shakespeare. 

From Othello. Act II. 

O God! that men should put an enemy in their mouths, to 
steal away their brains! that we should with joy, revel, 
pleasure, and applause, transform ourselves into beasts! 

Shakespeare. 

Obs. 4-. Emphasis is too precious to lavish. If you 
make all the words emphatic, the specific aim of empha- 
sis is lost 

Prepositions, coiij unctions, etc., are useful as links of 
speech, but alone they possess no meaning. It is absurd, 
therefore, and shows a very dull speaker, to emphasize 
"ands," and "ofs," and ''ins," and ''fors," every time 
they occur. 

Do not say, 

I will never submit to such tyranny. 



190 ELEMENTS OF EXPEESSION. VOCAL AKU PHYSICAL. 

The smaller number of words which you m;iy empha- 
size without detriment to the meaning and tenor of the 
sentence — the better. 



SECTION IV. 

# 

UNEMPHATIC WORDS. 

The student should now be able to render the em- 
phatic words. The unemphatic members of the sen- 
tence may still puzzle him. The analysis of the follow- 
ing sentence aims to remove this perplexity. 

Daily practice in elocution makes the voice 

SMOOTH . 

In this sentence the particles "in" and "the" should 
be obscured; the other w^ords recieve only sufficient 
stress to make them yield their meaning distinctly. 
Note the difference when a word demanding special em- 
phasis is introduced. 

Daily practice in elocution makes even a strident voice 
smooth. 

Here, "strident" differs as much in emphasis from 
"daily," "practice," etc., as do they from the particles. 
These unemphatic words are to be pronounced with the 
same force, relatively, as the unaccented syllables of 
words. 



EMPHASIS. 191 

ILLUSTRATION. 

Indispensable. = O how beautiful ! 
Maladministration. = Where are you going? 



SECTION V. 

- CLIMAX. 



The Climax, or orator's ladder, is such a disposition 
of words, claase.s, or senteiices. that each successive 
member transcends its predecessor in force and impress- 
iveness. Qiiintilian's rule was, * 'that a weaker assertion 
or proposition should never come after a stronger one." 

A vivid climax of considerable length is a telling test 
of elocutionary attainment. In its delivery we must 
utilize the best of voice and action we can afford. 

Keen discretion must govern its pronunciation, so 
that we may not exhaust our vocal power before ' 'cap- 
ping'' the climax. 

The voice should ascend in harmony with the devel- 
opment of thought and feeling. 

Sometime, the desired effect may be produced, by 
culminating the climax with an intense whisper. 

The Anti-climax, the reverse of the climax, is used to 
burlesque, to disparage^ etc. Pope used it very success- 
tally when he styled Lord Bacon, 

The greatest, wisest, meanest of mankind. 



102 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Examples of Climax. 
From Macbeth. Act IV, 

I conjure you, by that which you profess. 

(Howe'er you come to know it) answer me. 

Though you untie the winds and let them fight 

Against the Churches; though the yesty waves 

Confound and swallow navigation up: 

Though bladed corn be lodg'd and trees blown down ; 

Though castles topple o'er their warder's heads: 

Though palaces and pyramids do stoop 

Their heads to their foundations: though the treasure 

Of nature's germins tumble all together, 

Even till destruction sicken, answer me 

To what I ask you. 

Shakespeare. 

From The Human Tragedy. Act 111. 

"But"— and yet tighter, as he spoke, he clenched 
His nervous grasp — "by the Enduring Powers, 
By all the tears that ever drowned and drenched 
T:ie cheek of hopeless love through lonely hours. 
Whose parching fire can by no tears be quenched, 
By thy sire's ashes, by the sacred flowers 
That roof thy mother's grave, I tliee conjure, 
S^mre me not now! Strike home; 1 will endure. 

Alfred Austin. 

From Prologue to Addison's Cato. 

To -wake the soul by tender strokes of art, 
To raise the genius, and to mend the heart; 
To make mankind in conscious virtue bold. 
Live o'er each scene, and be what they behold; 
For this the Tragic Muse first trod the stage; 
Commanding tears to stream through every age; 
Tyrants no more their siivage nature kept, 
And foes to virtue wonder'd how they wept. 

Pope. 



EMPHASIS. 193 

From Richard III. Act I. 

Then, came wandering by 
A shadow like an an^el with bright hair 
Dabbled in blood; and he shrieked aloud, — 
Clarence is conie,— false, fleeting, perjured Chir- 
ence." 

Shakespeare. 

From Lectures on JustiScation. 

The Apostles spread their nets for disciples, and caught 

thousands at a cast And when these had entered the 

Church, many of them, doubtless, would wax cold in love, 
and fall away; but still, those who had the seed of God with- 
in them, would become neither offences .in the Church, nor 
apostates, nor heretics; but would find day by day, as love in- 
creased, increased experience, that what they had ventured 
boldly, amid conflicting evidence, of sight against sight, and 
reason against reason, with many things against it, but more 
things tor it, they had ventured well. The examples of 
meekness, cheerfulness, contentment, silent endurance, pri- 
vate self-denial, fortitude, brotherly love, perseverance in 
well-doing, which would from time to time meet them in 
their new kingdom, — the sublimity and harmony of the 
Church's doctrine, — the touching and subduing beauty of her 
services and appointments, — their consciousness of her vir- 
tue, divinely imparted, upon themselves, in subduing, purify- 
ing, changing tbem,— the bountifulness of her alms-giving,— 
her power, weak as she was and despised, over the statesmen 
and philosophers of the world,— her consistent and steady 
aggression upon it, moving forward in spite of it on all bides 
at once, like the wheels in the Prophet's vision, and this in 
contrast with the ephemeral and various outbreaks of sec- 
tarianism,— the unanimity and inbimacy existing between 
her widely separated branches, — the mutual sympathy and 
correspondence of men of hostile nations and foreign lan- 
guages, — the simplicity of her ascetics, the gravity of her 
Bishops, the awful glory shed around her martyrs, and the 
mysterious and recurring traces of miraculous agency here 



194 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION. VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

and there, once and again according as the Spirit willed, — 
these and the like persuasives acted on them' day by day, 
turning the whisper of their hearts into an habitual convic- 
tion, and establishing in the reason what had been begun in 
the will. — Newman. 

From King Richard II. Act II. 

This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle, 
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, 
This other i^^den, demi-paradise; 
This fortress, built by nature for herself, 
Against infection and the hand of war: 

, This happy breed of men, this little world; 
This precious stone set in the silver sea. 
Which serves it in the office of a wall, 

^ Or as a moat defensive to a house, 
Against the envy of less happier lands; 
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England, 

This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings 

That England that was wont to conquer others. 
Hath made a shameful conquest of itself. 

^kakes^jeare. 



1^5 



CHAPTER XII. 



GESTURES OF DIFFERENT MEMBERS. 

Each part of the human body is expressive. ^Ve have 
already treatacLof the hand and found it capable of ex- 
pressing almost any emotion, that may present itself. 
QuiNTiLiAN says.of the hand that, "while other limbs 
assist the speaker, the hands speak for themselves. 
For do we not demimd, promise, call, dismiss, threaten, 
entreat, abhor, fear, ask, deny, with them? Do we not 
indicate joy, SL-dness, doubt, acknowledgment, remorse, 
measure, multitude, number and time with them? Do 
they not arouse courage f Do they not mourn, repel, 
consent? Do they not express admiration and shame? 
This is the language which in the great diversity of 
tongues among all races and peoples, I have in common 
with all men." No further commentary on the use of 
the hands is necessary. 

The feet and legs are sufficiently treated in the chap- 
ter on action. 

The Head. 

There are few gestures of the head. The movements 
of the head denoting yes or no, denying or giving as- 
sent, are the ones most commonl} u»ed. 



196 ELEMENTS OF E:irRESSION, VOCAL AND PHY8TCAL. 

1. The Erect Head is the {ittituile of repose^ a &q^ 
notes calmness nil* [ attention: e. a-., 

•Well, let him continue; we are lisbening. 

2. The Bowed Head signifies thoughtfulness, rejlec- 
tioUy resignation; e. ^v. ^ 

From Hamlet. Act. III. 

To be or not be,— that is the question: 
Whether 'tjs nobler in the mind to suffer 
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune; 
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles. 
And by opposing, end them? Shakespeare. 

3. The Lifted Heal is expressive of joy, vivacity^ 
veJieiiitnce, selfsujjiclency, etc.; e. g. , 

From The Merchant of Venice. Act I. 

Gratiano. Let me play the fool: 
With mirtli and laughter let old wrinkles come, 
And let my liver rather heat with wine, 
Than my heart cool with mortifying groans. 
Why should a man whose blood is warm within 
Sit like his grandsire cut in alabaster? 

Shakespeare. 

4. The Advanced Head denotes eagerness, curiosity, 
etc. ; e. g. , 

Really, were you the person I met? 

5. The Head pivoted toward an object is significant 
of kindly feeling toward it; e. g., 

I am glad to see you. 



OE8TUKES OF DIFFERE^'T MEMBERS. 197 

Pivoted from the object deDotes disgust for it; e. g., 

I canDOt bear the sight of you. 

6. The Head drawn back from anything denotes 

surprise, distrust, or haughtiness-^ 6- g-5 

From The Hidden Gem. 

"Ignotus, I implore you, speak. — Still silent? 

Speak, or I must believe your guilt. No answer? ■ 

Have I then ta'en a viper to my bosom, 

Whom worthy I had deemed to be a son? 

A faithless robber for a holy man? 

And have five years of seeming piety. 

Of feigned austerity, and sham religion. 

Been but a hypocrite's deep preparation 

For vilest treachery, and meanest crime? 

Who will believe again in human virtue. 

If this be true. 

Cardinal Wiseman. 

7. The Head is thrown entirely back and down in 

great despair, agony and prostration; e. g., 

O Cymbeline! heaven, and my conscience, knows. 
Thou didst unjustly banish me. 

Shal^espeare. 

8. The Head thrown entirely forward and down dig- 
nities shame, despair, etc. ; e. g. , 

Yes, Ibnrn with shame to own it; I followed his bad example. 

9. The Head inclined toward th^ side expresses care- 
lessness^ trustfulness, fa^niliarity; e. g., 



198 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSIOIS'. VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

From As You Like It. Act III. 

Jacques. Rosalind is your love's name. 

Orlando. Yes, just. 

Jacques. I do not like her name. 

Orl. There was no thought of pleasing you when she was 

christened. 
Jacqu.'S.. What stature is she of? 
Orl. Just as high as my heart. 
. Jacques. Good-bye, you : let's meet as little as we can. 
Orl. I do desire we may be better strangers.— /SVia^espect re. 

The Eyes. 

The Eye has been called ''the window of the soul.*' 
Through it w^e detect tlie emotion which stirs the soul. 
It first communicates the thought. It is capable of more 
subtle expression than any other organ. The general 
rule which should govern the eye may be worded 
thus: Keep the eye to the audience. Even in reading, 
this is necessary. The eye should be so practiced that 
it can take in a whole line at a glance. Daniel \\'eb- 
STER used to ])ractice this by walking around a table on 
which was placed an open book, and, taking in, whilst 
facing the book, enough to continue speaking as he 
went around. With some practice, this can be brought 
to such a degree of perfection that the eye wdll, during 
entire sentences, look steadily at the audience. 

There are Nine Attitudes of the eye. 

I. The Normal eye looking straight ahead and rest- 
ing easily on any object. It is expressive of calmness, 
e. g., 

From The Merchant of Venice. Act IV. 

Antonio. I do oppose 

My patience to his fury, and am arm'd 



GESTURES OF DIFFERENT MEMBERS. 199 

To suffer with a quietness of spirit, 
Tlie very tyranny and rage of his. 

Shcikespeare. 

2. The Normal Eye with raised brow is expressive of 
conteinpt; e. g., 

From Coriolanus. Act 111. 

Coriolanus. Are these your herd?— 

Must tliese have voices, that can yield them now, 
And straight disclaim their tongues?— What are your offices? 
You being their mouths, why rule you not their teeth? 
Have you not set them on? 

Shakespeare. 

3. Eye wide open with brow drawn down denotes 
anger; e. g. , 

From The Comedy of Errors. Act II. 

Now as I am a Christian, answer me. 
In what safe place you have bestow'd my money, 
Or I shall break that merry sconce of yours, 
That stands on tricks when I am indispos'd. 
Where is the thousand marks thou hadst of me? 

Shakespeare. 

4. Eye opened wide with raised brow signilies aston- 
ishment; e.g., 

Traitor!— how now! 

Shakespeare. 

5. Eye slightly closed with brow down indicates 
thought; e. g., 

Yes, if I recollect rightly, it was ten days ago. 

6. Eye opened with slightly lowered brow expresses 
firmness; e. g., 



200 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

From Julius Caesar. Act IV. 

Must I budge? 
Must I observe you? Must 1 stand and crouch 
Under your testy humor? 

Shakespeare. 

7. Eye partly closed with the brow normal speaks 
ot (iroicslness, faintness^ etc.; 

1 pray you, bear with me : 1 can go no farther. — Shakesfjeare. 

8. Eye nearly closed with raised brow denotes ma- 
Ufjniti/. unci co7ite?>22Ji of opposition; e. g. , 

You thought to enchain me by your cunning hypocrisy. 

9. Eye open with normal brow denotes indejlnite 
tJioy(/Jit, day-dreaming, stupor, and such like stales 
of the mind; e. g., 

How long I strolled beside the stream 
I do not know, nor may I say. 

Father Ryan. 

The Mouth. 

The Mouth, too, is a great agent of expression. To 
convince yourself of this, place one hand over the rnoutb 
and give to the eye and the upper part of the face the 
most sinister expression possible. Now look in your 
mirror and you will not be able to tell from tlie features 
whether the expression is one of close scrutiny or of 
anger. 

The positions of the mouth, combiiied with the jaw 
and chin, are principally as follows: 1. Jaw firm, lips 
tightly closed denote teiision, firmness, etc. 2. Jaw drop- 
ped, lips wide open; terror. 3. Chin protruded; anger. 



GESTURES OF DIFFEREINT MEMBERS. 201 

4. Lips ccmpressed; concentration of mind. 5. Cor- 
ners drawn up, — joy; corners down, sorroiv. These po- 
sitions of the month without the agreement of the other 
features would not be expressive of the emotions we 
have mentioned. Consonance is necessary. Do not as- 
sert with one member and deny with another. 

GENERA L EXAMPLES. 
From King Henry 17. Part First. Act I. 

K. Henry. ]My blood liath been too cold and temperate, 
Unapt to stir at these Indignities, 
And you have found me; for, accordingly. 
You tread upon my patience: but, be sure, 
1 will from henceforth rather be myself. 
Mighty and to be feared, than my condition. 
Which hath been smootli as oil, soft as young down, 
And therefore lost that title of respect, 
Which the proud soul ne'er pays but to the proud. 

Worcester. Our house, my sovereign liege, little deserves 
The scourge of greatness to be used on it ; 
And that same greatness, too, which our own hands 
- H:ive holp to make so portly. 

K. H. Lord Worcester, get thee gone; for I do see 
Danger and disobedience in thine eye. 
O, sir I your presence is too bold and peremptory, 
And majesty might never yet endure 
The moody frontier of a servant brow. 
You have good leave to leave us: when we need 
Your use and counsel, we shall send for you. 



From Maurice Tyrone. 

"You find it hard to pardon me?" she said plaintively. 

So he did. He turned away, and, for a moment, could hard- 



202 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL, 

ly speak. She rose slowly and stood near him in an attitude 
of humility. 

''Can you find no excuse for me even in motive?" she plead- 
ed. '"Must I reveal myself all? Do you not know— can't you 
guess why I did this? and is there a. man living would not 
take such a motive into account when he is prayed for his 
forgiveness?" 

"Hush, pray. Mrs. Lorn," Tyrone said, turning round and 
speaking now in a hard, tirm voice: "I had rather hear no 
more disclosures of any kind. I thank you for having t:)ld me 
this even now, although it comes too late. You have ruined 
two lives, 1 suppose; but if you care for words of forgiveness 
from me— well, then, talce the words "I forgive you": and I 
will try and feel them hereafter more strongly than I do now. 
I hope you may be able to forgive yourself.''— JuHtin McCarthy, 



From Lady-Bird. 

Mr. Lifford turned pale with anger and said, "If I evaded 
your inquiries on that occasion it was from the wish to spare 
your mother unnece.ssary agitation." 

"And you refused him, then, without consulting her or me? 
What did you say to him?" She muttered these last words 
with her eyes bent on the ground, and her lips tightly com- 
pressed. 

"That he did me much honor, but that I had other views 
and intentions." 

"Did he ask to see me or /?,err' she said, clasping a small 
picture of her mother, which she wore round her neck. 

"These questions are unnecessary. Pray dismiss that sub- 
ject from your thoughts at once." 

"Dismiss it!" she slowly repeated. "Dismiss it! ^las it 
ever occured to you that there are thoughts which will not 
be dismissed?" 

"I have not patience to listen to any folly of this nature. 
From your birth you have iri-itated me. Abstain from doing 
so now. There are points on which I cannot be thwarted 
with impunity." — Lady Georgiana FuUerton. 



GESTUEES OF DIFFERENT MEMBERS. 203 

From Uncle Ned's Talcs. 

On swept the squadrons' Then vre looked where hist the 

band was seen: 
A scarlet heap was all that marked the place where they had 

been : 
And now it was with maddened hearts, we saw a gallinj; 

sight : 
A French hussar was riding close beneath us on the right,— 
He held a British standard! with insulting shout he stood. 
And waved the flag. — its heavy folds drooped down with 

shame and blood. — 
The foreign dogi I see him as he holds the standard down, 
And makes his charger trample on its colors and its crown! 
But his life soon^paid the forfeit: with aery of rage and pain, 
Hilton dashes from the escort, like a tiger from his chain. 
Then aimed at him who held the flag a cut of crushing might 
And split him to the very chin! — a horrid, ghastly sight! 

John Boyle 0' Be illy. 

From Picture^ in the Fire. 

Then I saw a maiden wreathing 

Starry flowers in garlands sweet 
Did she see tbe tiery serpent 

That was wrapped about her feet? 
That fell crashing all and vanished; 

And I saw two armies close.— 
I could almost hear the clarions, 

And the shouting of the foes. 
They were gone: and lo! bright angels 

On a barren mountain wild. 
Raised appealing arms to heaven, 

Bearing up a little child. 
And 1 gazed, and gazed, and slowly- 
Gathered in my eyes sad tears. 
And the tiery pictures bore me 

Back through distant dreams of years. 
Once again 1 tasted sorrow. 



204: ELEMENTS OF EXPEESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

With past joys was once more gay, 
Till the shade had gathered round me— 
And the tire had died away. 

Adelaide A. Procter. 

From King Henry VIII. Act IL 

Buckingham. You that have thus far come to pity me, 
Hear what I say and then go home and lose me. 
I have this day receiv'd a traitor's judgment, 
And by that name must die ; yet heaven baar witness, 
And if I have a conscience let it sink me. 
Even as the axe falls, if I be not faithful. 
The law I bear no malice for my death, 
It has done upon the premises but justice; 
But those that sought it I could wish more Christians ; 
Be what they will, I heartily forgive them. 
Yet let them look they glory -not in mischief, 
Nor build their evils on the graves of great men; 
For then my guiltless blood must cry against them. 

You few that loved me, 

Go with me, like good angels, to my end : 
And, as the long divorce of steel falls on me. 
Make of your prayers one sweet sacrifice. 

And lift my soul to heaven All good people. 

Pray for me. I must now forsake ye: the last hour 
Of my long weary life is come upon me. 
Farewell! and when you would say something that is sad. 
Speak how I fell,— I have done and God forgive mel 

Shakespeare. 



205 



CHAPTER XIII. 



PAUSE. 

Many sentences, besides subject and predicate, con- 
tain certain subordinate ideas expressed in clauses and 
phrases. To show the relation between these governing 
and dependent parts, and to prevent uncertainty of 
reference. Pauses are used. These rhetorical pauses 
often coincide with the printer's pauses — but, some- 
times, they are at variance. We often pause in reading, 
where no punctuation mark may be found, and must 
frequently disregard the grammatical pause, or sacrifice 
the sense. 

The judicious reader will use the punctuation marks 
merely as guides to point out the meaning of the author. 
The old rule, to count one at a comma; two, at a semi- 
colon; three, at — etc.; together with its counterpart, let 
the- voice a Uv ays fall at a jjeriod, never, at a comma, is 
now, happily, retained by only a few. We know that 
the voice often rises at a period, and sinks at a comma; 
or for that matter, where no punctuation mark is nec- 
essary; and, that the pause at a comma, is sometimes 
greater than at a semicolon, colon, or period. 

The influence of the Pause in expression is boundless. 
Silence, often, speaks louder than words. Force, clear- 
ness, and dignity of phrases depend largely upon the 



206 ELEMFKTF OF T.XrKFSSTON. VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Pause. We ciui tell from a reader's Pauses whether he 
understands his author. 

"A speaker is known by liis andfi and bis ovr 
Those stitcbes tnat fasten bis patcb-work together.'* 

The pause is necessary both for the reader ajid the 
liearer. For the reader, it is a physical necessity; he 
must stop for breath supplies. For the hearer, it is a 
mental necessity; he cannot g-rasp the thouohts unless 
they are [presented separatel3'; and time oiven him to 
perceive their relation . 

The Length of the Pause is coiitr:>lled by the character 
of the selection. In vehonent expression, it will be very 
brief; in solemn utterance, lon^-. Normal sentiments 
take the liappy medium. 

Examples. 

From Eleonora. 

Look on thy tender pledj?es left behind; 
And , if thou canst a vacant minute find 
ji rom heavenly joys, that interval afford 
To thy sad children and thy mourning lord. 
^ Bryden. 

From A Memory. 

Yea! drenms that vied with angels' flight? 
And, soaring, bore my heart away 
Beyond the far star-bounds of night. 
Unto the everlasting day. 

Father By an. 

From The Collegians. 

The spirit of the scene produced its effect upon the mind of 
ITardress himself, who , yielding to its influence, adopted a 
ilegree of gaiety that surprised and delighted all who wera 
intereh-ted in his fortunes. 



PAUSE. 207 

It is true, that from time to time, a fear struck at his heart, 
like the shock of an alarm, and the glassy eyes of a corpse 
seemed at intervals to stare at him from among the crowd. 
But he turned his eyes and his thoughts away to happier ob- 
jects, and, as if in defiance of the ghastly interruption, be- 
came more gay than before. — Gerald Griffin. 

If we follow the punctuation in the above examples, 
we must pause before and after the underlined words: 
and in the first, and in the second, ivho and and in the 
third. But by doing so, we give the words undue 
prominence and thereby impair the sense. We make 
"and" staLnd alone, endowing it with an independence 
of which it is incapable. Our ears may be accustomed 
to hear sentences rendered in this manner — for faulty 
readers abound — and lience do not object to such vio- 
lations. But the custom of making vacuums, by 
separating words that are inse[)arable, is abhorred by 
nature, and condemned by the judicious, as a vi" cus- 
tom — "honour'd in the breach." Evidently, we must 
pass over the printer's pauses and put together what he 
has put asunder. 



A right moral state of heart is the formal and scientific 
condition of a poetical mind.— Newman. 

In this sentence no punctuation is required; yet, in 
its delivery, we would not fail to pause as follows: 

A right moral state of hearth] is the formal | and scientific 
condition || of a poetical mind. * 

The Reformation | in its results | has been unfavorable to 
literature. Its immediate effect was | to destroy the literary 
spirit. Erasmus said | that wherever it prevailed, I letters 



20 8 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

wont to ruin. Hallam remarks | that "the first effects of the 
great religious schism in Germany | were not favorable to 
Classical literature." — Brother Azaria^. 

Here, the punctuation demands few pauses; the read- 
er, however, will not neglect those marked. 

Rules for Pausing. 

I. Pause before relative pronouns, and adverbs of 
time and place that convey the idea of a relative. 

(Only pauses exempiifyi.i.^ the particular rule will be iudicated.) 

Examples. 
From Creator and Creature. 

There is something awful in the enduring love of God, 
something | which overshadows the spirits of creatures so ca- 
pricious and inconstant as ourselves. He will not easily sur- 
render to His enemies a creature | whom He has borne in His 
bosom lilie a nurse from the beginning. Into the least of His 
blessings he pours an endless love. There are no infirmities [ 
which He disdains, no prayers | wUich He disregards. 

Father Faber. 

rrom Passing Footsteps. 

One other foot, through the shadows goes by. and I listen 

again: ♦ 

'Tis the step of of a man grt)wn aged among his fellow men: 
'Tis a weary while | since a mother | first -guided those 

stumbling feet, 
They, have grown unfit for this busy mart | where the 

world's strong pulses beat. 

Eleanor C. Donnelly. 



PAUSE. 209 

2 . Whatever intervenes between the subject and its 
predicate, between the verb and its object, should be 
separated from each by pauses. 

From The Turf Shall be my Fragrant Shrine. 

Thy heaven, | on which 'tis bliss to look, | 
Shall be my pure and shining book, 
Where I shall read, | in words of flame, | 
The glories of thy wondrous name. 

Moore. 

From A Tempest at Sea. 

The mountains and valleys, | with their bold lineaments 
and luxurious verdure, | are beautiful; but theirs is not like 
the beauty of the ocean, for here all is life and movement. — 
Archhishop Hughes. 

3. A succession of adjectives, in natural order, takes 
a pause after each save the last. 

From The Merchant of Venice. Act 111 

Look on beauty, 
And you shall see 'tis purchased by the weight ; 
Which therein works a miracle in nature. 
Making them lightest that wear most of it: 
So are those crisped ] snaky | golden locks. 
Which make such wanton gambol with the wind. 
Upon supposed fairness, often known 
To be the dowry of a second head 
The scull, that bred them, in the sepulchre. 

)Siial:espeare. 

From The Story of Ireland. 

The earl marshal returned with the unwelcome news to the 
king, who flew into rage! What! He the great, | tlie court- 



210 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

ly, I the pui.vsant, | and gorgeous King Richard of England, 
tluis haughtily treated by a mere Irish prince! By the glory 
of William the Conquerer, this astounding conduct should 
meet a dreadful chastisement. — Alexander M. Sullivan. 

From The Republic. 

Loyalty is the highest, | noblest | and most generous I'of 
human virtues, and is the human element of that sublime 
charity which, the inspired Apostle tells us is the fulfilment 
of the law. There is nothing great, | generous, | good, | or 
heroic, | of which a truly loyal people are not capable, and 
nothing mean, | base, | cruel, ) brutal ) criminal, | detestable, ( 
not to be expected of a really loyal people. — Orestes A.Bvownson. 

4. A series of nouns belonging to one verb requires a 
pause after each. 

Examples. 

Faith, 1 Justice, | Heaven itself, | now quit their hold, 
When to false fame the captive heart is sold. 

Pope. 

From Catholic and Protestant Countries Compared. 

To what do we owe our knowledge of the ancient classics at 
the present day but to the indefatigable literary zeal of the 
Catholic priesthood— of popes, | bishops. | priests, | and above 
all of the monks— in collecting, preserving, and transcribing 
these highly-prized treasures? Who produced and who care- 
fully preserved the Book of books-the Holy Bible, especially 
the Bible of Christians— the New Testament? From what 
source has flowed forth the all precious and profoundly learn- 
ed writings of the long line of fathers, | doctors, | theologi- 
ans, 1 and historians 1 of Christianity? He would be a venture- 
some defamer indeed who would dare call in question the 
debt that the world owes the Catholic Church on the score of 
the cultivation of letters, as the cotroversialist would be no 
less venturesome to attempt to frame an excuse for the at- 



PAUSE. 211 

tacks made upon literary culture by the early Reformers and 
the wanton destruction of untold thousands of books and 
manuscripts in hundreds of libraries by these vandals who 
sprang up all over Great Britain, | Germany, | and in other 
countries | where Protestantism in its bigoted and ignorant 
wrath strove by fire, | sword, | and robbery | to wipe from off 
the face of the earth every vestige of what had been tlie most 
glorious monuments of Christendom.— ^?/Ved Young. 

From Epistle VI. (Imitations of Horace.) 

This vault of air, | this congregated ball, | 
Self-centred sun, | and stars ] that rise and fall. 
There are, my friend! whose philosophic eyes 
Look through and trust the ruler with his skies; 
To him commit the hour, | the day, | the year, | 
And view this dreadful all without a fear. 

Pope. 

5. When we wish to make a word very emphatic, we 
should pause before and after it. 

Examjjles. 

From King John. Act III. 

O, Austria thou dost shame 
That bloody spoil: ] thou slave, | thou wretch, | 
thou coward; | 

Thou little valiant, great | in villany! 

W^iat a fool I art thou | 
A ramping fool; | to brag, | and stamp, | and swear, [ 

Upon my party! 

Thou I wear a lion's hide! | doll it 
for shame, 
And hang | a calf's-skin | on those recreant limbs. 

Shakespeare. 

From Brutus. 

Go to the tomb where lie his murder'd wife, 
And the poor queen, who lov"d him as her son, 



212 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION. VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Their unappeased ghosts will shriek, [ Revenge! ] 
The temples of the gods, the all-viewing heaven,— 
The gods themselves,— will justify the cry, 
And swell the general sound— | Revenge! | Revenge! 

/. Howard Payne. 

Tt would be an easy task to multiply grammatical re- 
lations that require a pause before or after, or both, but 
as they are all subject to a general rule, it is unneces- 
sary. A uniform observance of the following rule will 
result in correct pausing: 

Never make a pause which injures the sense. 

Any pause so introduced is from the purpose of 
speaking, "whose jend, both at first, and now, was, and 
is, "to convey meaning. 

Still follow sense of every art the soul : 
Parts answering parts shall slide into a whole. 

Pope. 

Kequire the students to indicate the pauses in the 
following selections. 



GENEB.AL EXAMPLES. 
From The Dream of Home. 

Who has not felt how sadly sweet 
The dream of home, the dream of home. 
Steals o'er the heart, too soon to fleet, 
When far o'er sea or land we. roam? 
Sunlight more soft miay o'er us fall. 
To greener shores our bark may come ; 
But far more bright, more dear than all, 
That dream of home, that dream of home. 



PAUSE. 213 

♦ 
Ask of the sailor youth when far 
His light bark bounds o'er ocean's foam 
What charms him most, when evening's star 
Smiles o'er the wave"? to dream of home. 
Fond thoughts of absent friends and lover^ 
At that sweet hour around him come: 
His heait's best joy where'er lie roves. 
That dream of home, that dream of home. 

3Ioove. 



From The History of England. 



If we estimate the character of a sovereign by the test of 
popular affection, we must rank Edward tbe Confessor among 
the best princes of bis time. The goodness of his heart was 
adored by his subjects, who lamented his death with tears 
of undissembled grief, and bequeathed his memory as an ob- 
ject of veneration to their posterity. The blessings of bis 
reign are the constant theme (^^ our ancient writers ; not, in- 
deed, that he displayed any of luose brilliant (Qualities, whicli 
attract admiration, while they inflict misery. He could not 
boast of the victories he had achieved : but he exhibited the 
interesting spectacle of a king, negligent of his private inter- 
ests, and totally devoted to the welfare of his people; and, by 
his labors to restore the dominion of the laws ; his vigilance 
to ward off foreign aggression: his constant, and ultimately 
successful, solicitude to appease the feuds of his nobles; if he 
did not prevent the interruption, he secured, at least, a long- 
er duration of tranquillity than had been enjoyed in England 
for half a century. He was pious, kind, and compassionate: 
the father of the poor, and the protector of the weak: more 
willing to give than to receive ; and better pleased to pardon 

than to punish Hence he appeared to shine with purer 

light amid the gloom with which he was surrounded: and 
whenever the people under the despotism of the ISTorman 
Kings, had any opportunity of expressing their real wishes, 
they constantly called for 'the laws and customs of the good 
King Edward. ' '—Lingard. 



214 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

From St. Thomas of Canterbury. 

Lords, I know you; 
What done ye have, and what intent ere yet 
Yon sun that rises weeping sets this night: 
And therefore bind I with this charge your souls; 
If any secular coui't shall pass its verdict 
On me, your lord, or ere that sin be sinned, 
I bid you flee that court; if secular arm 
Attempt me, lay ibereon the Church's ban, 
Or else against you I appeal to Rome. 
To-day the heathen rage— I fear them not: 
If fall I must ; this hand ere yet I fall, 
Stretched from the bosom of a peaceful gown 
Above a troubled king and darkening realm. 
Shall send God's sentence forth. My lords, farewell! 

Aubrey Be Vere. 

From The Bridal of the Year. 

And the artist, too — the gifted — 
He whose soul is heavenward lifted 
Till it drinketh inspiration 
At the fountain of the skies; 
He, within whose fond embraces 
Start to life the marble graces; 
Or, with god-like power -presiding, 
With the potent pencil gliding. 
O'er the void chaotic canvas 
Bids the fair creation rise ! 
And the quickened mass obeying 

Heaves its mountains; 

From its fountains 
Sends the gentle streams asbraying 
Through the vales, like Love's first feeling 
Stealing o'er a maiden's heart; 

The Creator — 

Imitator — 
From his easel forth doth start. 
And from G-od's glorious nature learns anew his art! 

D. F. M'Garihy. 



PAUSE. 215 

From Occasional Sermons. 

I need not tell you. how suddenly the word of truth came 
to our ancestors in this island and subdued them to its 
gentle rule, how the grace of God fell on them, and, without 
compulsion, as the historian tells us, the multitude became 
christian; how, wlien all was tempestuous, and hopeless, 
and dark, Christ like a vision of glory came walking to them 

on the waves of the sea The fair form of Christianity 

rose up and grew and expanded like a beautiful pageant 
from north to south: it was majestic, it was solemn, it was 
bright, it was beautiful and pleasant, it was soothing to the 
griefs, it was indulgent to the hopes of man; it was at once a 
teaching and a worship ; it had a dogma, a mystery, a ritual 
of its own; it had an hierarchical form. A brotherhood of 
holy pastors, with mite and crosier and uplifted hand, walk- 
ed forth and blessed and ruled a joyful people. The crucifix 
headed the procession, and simple monks were there with 
hearts in prayerr and sweet chants resounded, and the holy 
Latin tongue was heard, and boys came forth in white, 
swinging censers, and the fragrant cloud arose, and Mass was 
sung, and the saints were invoked; and day after day, and in 
tlie still night, and over the woody hills and in the quiet 
plains, as constantly as sun and moon and stars go forth in 
heaven ; so regular was the stately march or blessed services 
on earth, high festival, and gorgeous procession, and sooth- 
ing dirge, and passing bell, and the familiar evening call to 
prayer: till he who recollected the old pagan time, would 
think it all unreal that he beheld and heard, and would con- 
clude, he did but see a vision, so marvelously was heaven let 
down upon earth, so triumphantly were chased away the 
fiends of darkness to their prison below. 

Such was the change which came over our forefathers; such 
was the Religion bestowed upon them, bestowed on them as 
a second grant, after the grant of the territory itself; nay, it 
might almost have seeaied as the divine guarantee or i^ledge 
of its occupation. And you know its name ; there can be no 
mistake; you know what that religion was called. It was 
called by- no modern name — for modern religions then were 
not. You know n'liat religion has priests and sacrifices, and 



'216 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

mystical rites, and the monastic rule, and care for the souls 
of the dead, and the profession of an ancient faith, coming 
through all ages, from the Apostles. There is one, and only 
one religion such ; it is known everywhere; every poor boy in 
the street knows the name of it : there never was a time, 
since it tirst was, that its name was not known, and known 
to the multitude. It is called Catholicism— a world-wide 
name, and imcommunicable; attached to us from the first; 
accorded to us by our enemies; in vain attempted, never 
stolen from us, by our rivals. Such was the worship which 
the English people gained when they emerged out of pagan- 
ism into gospel light. In the history of their conversion, 
Christianity and Catholicism are one; they are in that his- 
tory, as they are in their own nature, convertible terms. 
— Newman. 



eir 



CHAPTER XIV. 



POETIC READING. 

Poetry and music in early days were united. Tliey 
are still allied, though many have tried to sunder them. 
Music informs lyric poetry. Dryden tells us, "The 
charm of poetry our souls bewitch," and Shakespeare, 
''Much is the force of heaven-bred poesy. " Rob poetry 
of its magic rhythm, however, and you deprive it of its 
witchery and /orce. Poetry is an art, and like sculpture, 
architecture, painting, and music, its effects are premed- 
itated. If we do not by diligent study discover the 
end for which a poet employs a certain metre, certain 
words, certain blendings, we will fail to bring out his 
intention. In preparing a poem for recitation, do the 
same as you should in do in pro^e: First find out the 
author's meaning; the meaning is always of primary 
importance. 

Bat poets (not poetasters), always arrange their 
words so that we can bring oat the meaning in sweet, 
melodious numbers. "The great masters require of the 
reader only that he should understand their meaning 
and deliver it with proper accentuation; then they will 
answer for the prosody coming right." — Buskin: Ele- 
ments of Encilish Prosody. Rhythm is a. chief source of 
poetic charm. Anyone derives pleasure from observing 



218 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

rhythmical motions in nature. The undulatory fields 
of grain before the harvest; the graceful swaying of 
leafy boughs in summer's welcome breezes; the rippling 
of singing rivulets over the hardy pebbles: the playful 
waves chasing one another toward the strand, v/ill 
arouse pleasurable emotions in the most insensible. 

The rhythm of nature derives its beauty from the 
recurrence of like motions at measured intervals of 
space or time. ''The wave swells and then sinks, mak- 
ing a crest and a hollow, visible to the eye. A succes- 
sion of crests and hollows forms a rhythm." Rhythm, 
therefore, in poetry is the harmonious result ef stressed 
syllables at regular intervals. It is not necessary to 
chant the words or to fall into "sing-song," the false 
g.'iliop of verse,'' to bring out this rhythm. If we read 
true poetry, the rhythm and meaning will always accord. 
If we read doggerel or ''spiay-foot verse, ''we may read 
it for the jingle, as sense does not enter largely into 
such pieces. The poet's choice of mere is not arbitra- 
ry. He must suit the. metre to the thought. 

Examples. 

Oh, lost, for ever lost — no more 
Shall Vesper light our dewy way 
Along the rocks of Crlssa's shore, 
To hymn the fading tires of day. 



'rioore. 



or, 



My brother's breast was warm with truth, 
Was bright with honor's purest ray : 
He was the dearest, gentlest youtli^- 
Ah, why then was he torn away? 

Ihid. 



POETIC BEADING. 219 

Compare these stanzas with the following: 

From The Bridal of the Year. 

Bat the Bride— the Bride is comiQg! 

Birds are singing, bees are humming; 

Silent lakes amid the mountains 
Look but cannot speak their mirth ; 

Streams go bounding in their gladness, 

With a Bacchanalian madness: 

Trees bow down their heads in wonder, 

Clouds of purple part asunder. 

As the Maiden of the Morning: 

Leads the blushing Bride to Earth ! 

Bright as are the planets seven— 
With her glances 
She advances 

For her azure eyes are heaven! 

And her robes are sun-beams woven, 

And her beauteous bridesmaids are 
Hopes and Wishes- 
Dreams delicious — 

Joj^s from some serener star, 
And Heavenly-hued Illusions gleaming from afar! 

n. F. McCarthy. 

Why did not Moore employ the same metre for his 
theme as M'Carthy^ Because the tripping metre so 
aptly used by the hitter, would be ill-suited to the slow 
tones of grief, in fact, would burlesque sorrow. It will 
avail the poet little, how^ever, to harmonize metre and 
subject, if the reader does not imitate him. A knowl- 
edge of versification is indispensable for the higher 
effects of poetical reading. A brief presentation of the 
feet most commonly used is all that we can convenient- 
ly introduce. For further information the student is 
referred to some treatise on versitication . 



220 ELEMENTS OF ETIPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

A poetic foot may be composed of two or three syl- 
lables. 

Dissyllabic Feet. 

Iambus, second syllable accented, as amaze. 
Trochee^ tirst " " " sylvan. 

Spondee^ both syllables " " moonbeam. 

Trissyllabic Feet. 

Dactyl, first syllable accented, as dutiful. 
Amphibrach, second syllable accented, as remember. 
Anapest, third syllable accented, as recollect. 

The ancient names for the feet have been retained, 
but we should remember that the feet in English are 
not long and short but accented and unaccented. 

The Iambus, the Trochee, the Dactyl, and the Anapest 
are called primary feet. A poem may be formed of 
any of these without recourse to blending. The fol- 
lowing examples are given to illustrate the melody 
peculiar to each kind. 

Spondee: 



Rash dream er return! O ye winds of the main 
Bear him back to his own peaceful Ara again. 

Griffin. 



Farewell, 



a long 



farewell 



to all 



my greatness. 
Shakes2)eare. 



POETIC READING. 

Amphibrach: 



221 



N6 pearl ev er lay un der Oaians J green water. 

Moore. 

Iambus: 

From Lines. 



The world is sweet, and fair, and bright, 
And joy abour.deth everywhere, 
Tlie glorious stars erown every nightj 
And thro' the dark of ev'ry care 
Above us shine bh heaven's light. 

Father liijau. 

Trochee: 

From Give Place. 

Joy so true and | tender, 

Dare you not abide? 
Will you spread your pinions 

Must you leave our side? 
Is ay, an Angel's shining grace 

Waits to fill your place! 

Adelaide A. Frocter. 

Dactvl: 

irom Sister of Charity. 



Sister of 



Charity, i child of the ho-li-r.;t. 
O for thy living soul ardent as pure.— 
Mother of orphans and friend of the lowliest— 
Stay of the wrelohed, the guilty, the poor. 

B. B. WiUkwL 



222 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Anapest. 

Sweet vale | of Avo ] ca! how calm | could I re^ 
In thy bosom of shade, with the frieads I love best, 
Where the storms that we feel in this cold world should cease, 
And our hearts like thy waters be mingled in peace. 

It is unnecessary to preserve one species of feet 
throughout a poem. Hence, in readirio^ poetry, if you 
find, that, by observing the preponderant metre of a 
given poem, you violate accent or emphasis, scan the 
line, to see whether the poet has introduced another 
kind of feet. 

Examples. 

That heals the wound, and cures not the disgrace.— >S/ia^'es- 
yeare. 

If we read this verse as though it contained all iambic 
feet we will emphasize "the" in the fourth foot, which 
is plainly wrong. If we scan the line, w^e will discover 
the fourth foot to be a pyrrhic. 



That heals 



the wound, 



and cures | not the disgrace. 
Asaii!. 



Eye nature's walks, shoot folly as it flies. 
And catch the manners living as they rise. 

According to tiie scheme of the verse, "as" in the first 
and the second line, should receive .^^tress. Scan the 
lines, however, and you will find the poet has intro- 
duced pyrrhics. 

Here is a stanza including three kinds of feet, with 
varying position. 



POETIC READING. 223 

From The Turn of the Leaf. 

Poor tiny leaf, still so green, Oh! bow 
Can you forsake tbus your native bough? 
The sun still willing to shine around 
And yet forsooth you sink to the ground ! 

Kenelm Henry Bighy. 

Another source of melody in verse, is the Final and 
Caesural pause. The Final pause is especially necessary 
in lyric poetry where the length of the lines vary. 
Surely the poet did not make one line longer or 
shorter than another from mere caprice; and what he, 
on the printed page, addresses to our eye, we must con- 
vey to the hearer, by means of the final pause. Where 
the concluding word of a line is closely related to the 
initial word of the succeeding verse, make a delicate 
suspension, or poise of the voice on it, using it as a 
pivot. In this way you will keep the lines distinct, and 
not impair the sense. Lord Kames, the eminent Scotch 
critic, attributes the great variety of modulation con- 
spicuous in English verse to pauses and accents, and 
warns the reader, that unless he attends to these, he will 
fail to appreciate the richness and variety of English 
versification. 

The Caesural pause occurs about the middle of the 
verse. It is soon determined in a selection, but when 
once found, should not be foLowed blindly. It often 
varies. 

Exam2Jles. 

Thus, if eternal justice || rules the ball | 
Thus shall your wives, || and thus your children fall. 

Pope. 



224 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

His peers upon this evidence, 
Have found him guilty of high treason. |1 Much 
He spoke, and learnedly, for life: but all 
Was either pitied in him, or forgotten. 

Shalcespeare. 

'Tis with our judgments as our watches : 1| none 
Go just alike, yet each believes his own. 

Pope. 

What the weak head with strongest bias rules 
Is pride; 1| the never failing vice of fools. 

Ibid. 

The nations have fallen, 1| and thou art still young 
Thy sun is but rising, || when others are set ; 
And though slavery's cloud J| o'er thy morning hath hung, 
The full noon of freedom 1| shall beam round thee yet. 
Erin, oh Erin, || though long in the shade, 
Thy star will shine out 1| when the proudest shall fade. 

Moore. 

What if the foot, || ordained the dust to tread, 
Or hand, to toil, li aspired to be the head? 
What if the head. || the eye, or ear, repined 
To serve mere engines || to the ruling mind? 
Just as absurd, || for any part to claim 
To be another, || in this general frame : 
Just as absurd || to mourn the task or pains 
The great directing mind of all !| ordains. 

Moore. 

All the foregoing is strengthened by the testimony of 
Legouve: "When you read a poet, read him as a poet. 
Where there is rhythm let that rhythm ba heard! When 
the verses are painting and music, be a painter and a 
musician when you read them!" 

The following examples, containing various melodies, 
are added for the student to analyze. 



POETIC READING. -5 

GENERAL EXAMPLES. 
From To-day. 

To-day is bright with golden gleams of sprinir. 
To-day is fair, and all our sweet hopes sing; 
But night comes down^ and then our day is done. 

It is not always bright, nor always spring, 
And sunny seasons are the ones that bring 
Most sudden showers; and the light is gone. 

Live in the sunlight, in the fair to-day! 
To-morrow keeps to-morrow, and the way 
May, in a moment, lose the light of sun ! 

Maurice F. Egan. 

From Their «tory Runneth Thus, 

He sat beside that lonely grave for long, 

He took its grasses, in his trembling hand. 

He toyed with them and wet them with his tears, 

He read the name again and still again, 

"What means it all? Can this be Ethel's grave? 
[ dreamed her soul had fled. 
Was she the white dove that I saw in dream 
Fly o'er the sleeping sea so long ago? 

The convent bell 
Rang sweet upon the breeze, and answered him 
His question. And he rose and went his way 
Unto the convent gate; long shadows marked 
One hour before the sunset, and the birds 
Were singing Vespers in the convent trees. 
As silent as a st'^r-gleam came a nun 
In answer to his summons at the gate ; 
Her face was like the picture of a Saint, 

Or like an angel's smile: her lips were pale and worn 

By ceaseless prayer; and when she sweetly spoke, 



226 ELEMENTS OF EXPKESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

And bade him enter, 'twas in such a tone 
As only voices own which day and night 
Sing hymns to God. 

She locked the massive gate. 
He followed her along a flower-fringed walk 
That, gently rising, led up to the home 
Of virgin hearts. 

Father Ryan. 

From Lalla Rookh. 

But, hark! the vesper call to prayer. 

As slow the orb of daylight sets. 

Is rising sweetly on the air. 

From Syria's thousand minarets! 

The boy has started from the bed 

Of flowers, where he had laid his head, 

And down upon the fragrant sod 

Kneels, with his forehead to the soutli. 

Lisping the eternal name of God 

From Purity's own cherub mouth, 

And looking, while his hands and eyes 

Are lifted to the glowing skies, 

Like a stray babe of Paradise, 

Just lighted on that flowery plain, 

And seeking for its home again. 

Oh! 'twas a sight — that Heaven— that chilfl— 

A scene which might have well beguiled 

Even hauglity Eblis of a sigh 

For glories lost and peace gone by ! 

And now felt he, the wretched man 

Eeclining there— while memory ran 

O'er many a year of guilt and strife, 

Flew o'er the dark flood of his life, 

iSTor found one sunny resting-place, 

Nor brought him back one branch of grace? 

"There was a time," he said, in mild 

Heart-humbled tones— "thou blessed child! 

When, young and haply pure as thou. 



POETIC READING. ' ^227 

I looked and prayed like thee— but now—" 
He hung his head— each nobler aim, 
And hope, and feeling, which had slept 
From boyhood's hour, that instant came 
Fresh o'er hmi, and he wept— he wept! 

Blest tears of soul-felt penitence! 
In whose benign redeeming flow 
Is felt the tirst, the only sense 
Of guiltless joy that guilt can know. 

Moore. 



From Philip and Mildred. 

Lingering fade the rays of daylight, and the listening air is 

chilly; 
Voice of bird and forest murmur", insect hum and quivering 

fly, 

Stir not in that quiet hour ; through the valley, calm and 

stilly, 
All is hushed and loving silence watch the slow departing 

day, 
Till the faint last western cloudlet, faint and rosy, eases 

blushing, 
And the blue grows deep and deeper where one trembling 

planet shines. 
And the day has gone forever— then, like some great ocean 

rushing, 
Tlie sad night wind wails lamenting, sobbing through the 

moaning pines. 
Such, of all day's changing hours, is the fittest and the 

sweetest 
For a farewell hour— and parting looks less bitter and more 

blest; 
Earth seems like a shrine for sorrow, Nature's mother voice 

is sweetest. 
And her hand seems laid in chiding on the unquiet throb- 
bing breast 

Adelaide A. Procter. 



228 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL.. 
From Absalom and AchitopheL 

Surrounded thus with friends of every sort, 
Deluded Absalom foisakes the court,. . . . 
The admiring crowd are dazzled with surprise 
And on his goodly person feed their eyes. 
His looks, his gestures and his words he frames 
And with familiar ease repeats their names. 
Thus formed by nature, furnished out with arts. 
He glides unfelt into their secret hearts^ 
Then with a kind compassionating look, 
And sighs bespeaking pity ere he spoke, 
Few words he said, but easy those and fit. 
More slow than Hybla-drops and far more sweet, 
"I mourn, my countrymen your lost estate. 
Though far unable to prevent your fate : 
Behold a banished man, for your dear cause 
Exposed a prey to arbitrary laws! 
Yet oh that I alone 'could be undone, 
Cut off from empire and no more a son ! 
ISTow all your liberties a spoil are made 
Egypt and Tyrus intercept your trade 
And Jebusites your sacred rites invade. 
My father, whom with reverence yet I name, 
Charmed into ease is careless of his fame ; 
Exalts his enemies, his friends destroys, 
And all his power against himself employs. 
He gives, and let him give, my right away; 
But why should he his own and yours betray?'* 
Youth, beauty, graceful action seldom fail, 
Bat common interest always will prevail ; 
And pity never ceases to be shown 
To him who makes the people's wrongs his own. 

Dryden. 

From The Pilgrims of the Night. 

Hark! hark! my soul, angelic songs are swelling 
O'er earth's green fields and ocean's wave-beat shore ; 



POETIC READING. 529 

How sweet the truth those blessed strains are telling 
Of that new life when siQ shall ba no morel 

Chorus. Angels of Jesus 
Angels of light, 
Singing to welcome 
The pilgrims of the night! 

Darker than night, life's shadows fall around us, 
And, like benighted men, we miss our mark; 
God hides Himself, and grace hath scarcely found us, 
Ere death finds out his victim in the dark. 

Onward we go, for still we hear them singing,. 
Come, weary souls! for Jesus bids you come! 
And through the dark, its echoes sweetly ringing, 
The music of the Gospel leads us home. 

Far, far away, like bells at evening pealing, 
The voice of Jesus sounds o'er land and sea. 
And laden souls, by thousands meekly stealing, 
Kind Shepherd ! turn their weary steps to Thee. 

Rest comes at length; though life be long and drearj^, 
The day must dawn, and darksome night be past; 
All journeys end in welcomes to the weary, 
And heaven, the heart's true home, will come at last. 

Cheer up, my soul! faith's moonbeams softly glisten 
Upon the breast of life's most troubled sea ; 
And it will cheer thy drooping heart to listen 
To those brave songs which angels mean for thee. 

Angels ! sing on, your faithful watches keeping. 
Sing us sweet fragments of the songs above; 
While we toil on, and soothe ourselves with weeping. 
Till life's long night shall break in endless love.' 

Father Faher. 



230 ELEMENTS OF EXPEESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 



CHAPTER XV. 



PERSONATION. 

A knowledge of the boniuls of personation is of vast 
imporlance. Many otherwise fair elocutionists 'o'er- 
step the modesty of nature' by trying- to be several 
persons [it the same time. As rules which must be ob- 
served, we insert the following: 

I . Personation is not allowed unless the direct p-^'^'^ch 
of a person is given. In such a sentence as, 

"She tore from braids of long black hair 

The gems that gleamed like star-light there," etc., 

you are not allowed to go through a motion indicative 
of tearing them from your own hair. In the following 
example, notice tlie personation does not commence till 
you ari-ive at the direct speech. Then raise the hand 
as if grasping a scepter, and point, at the same time 
assuming majestic voice. 

From Heart of Bruce. 

The king sighed slightly, an^ his eyelids sank: 
Later his eyes unclosed : and with strong voice 
And hand half raised as if it grasped a scepter, 
He spake; "Yon case of silver is a reliquary- 
Seal thou therein my heart when dead I lie; 
.In the Holy Land inter it." 

Aubrey De Vere. 



PEESONATION. ' 231 

In speaking of another's limbs, face, month, etc., do 
not point or refer to your own; e. g., 

From The Two Interpreters. 

The father looked, and, with a pang 

Of love and strange alarm, 

I>rew close the little eager child 

Within his sheltering arm; 

From out the clouds the mother looks 

With wistful glance below, 

She seems to seek the treasure left 

On earth so long ago; 

She liolds her arms out to her child, 

His cradle song she sings : 

The last rays of the sunset gleam 

Upon her outspread wings. 

In vai4i the bright stars, one by one, 

On the blue silence start, 

A dreary shadow rests to-night 

Upon the father's heart. 

Adelaide A. Procter. 

2. Personation is often in place where, although no 
direct speech is used, the selection is intensely dramatic. 
This is on account of our sympathy with the situation. 
We see some one we Jove in a terrible crisis, and we 
involuntarily portray his actions, allow him to speak, as 
it were, through our organs of expression. As an ex- 
ample of this, Copee^s '^Night Watch" will serve. 
Irene de Grandfief sees lying wounded before her the 
man who murdered her lover. She must tend him and 
administer a potion regularly to prevent fever. Her 
wrongs burn within her, and, for a time, she hesitates. 
After a terrible struggle, she ovecomes self, and with 
eyes ever bent on her crucifix fuitils her duty. Though 



232 EL-EMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

much of the la^tter part of the piece is not in direct 
speech, still personation would be proper on account of 
the dramatic intensity. 

Examples. 
From A Sketch. 

Tbe tenement was ablaze. The clang of the fire bells, the 
shouts of the spectators, the roaring of the flames above, and 
of the engines below in the streets was deafening. Suddenly 
there appeared far above, out of reach of the ladders, a wo- 
man holding an infant. Flames were licking the casement 
of the window below. In a few moments she would be en- 
wrapped in them. The eyes of the crowd are upon her. Their 
hearts go out to her in her terrible peril. Oh for a means of 
saving her and her precious burden ! And is she to be made 
a holocaust to the fire-king? A moment more and that 
creeping red flame will be around her! Oh God! is there no 
hand to snatch her from that hell around? — Williams. 

From The Odyssey. 

With speed the bark they climb ; the spacious sails 

Loosed from the yards invite the impelling gales. 

Past sight of shore, along the surge they bound, 

And all above is sky, and ocean all around; 

When lo ! a murky cloud the Thunderer forms 

Dull o'er their heads, and blackens heaven with storms. 

Night dwells o'er all the deep: and now outflies 

The gloomy west, and whistles in the skies. 

The mountain-billows roar! the furious blast 

Howls o'er the shroud, and rends it from the mast: 

The mast gives way and, cracking as it bends, 

Tears up the deck : then all at once descends: . 

The pilot by the tumbling ruin slain. 

Dashed from the helm, falls headlong in the main. 

Fope^s Translation. 



PERSONATION. 233 

From Too Strange not to be True. 

D'auban ran towards the rivej, and sprang into the canoe 
of the barge with which one of his boatmen remained the 
night before. Cutting witli a knife the rope that fastened it 
to the sliore, both began to row for their livos. The natives 
pursued them. Tliey liad sworn by the great Sun that not a 
white man should escape. Arrows whizzed in the ears of the 
pursued, and the savages were gaining upon them. For one 
instant— it was a desperate expedient— d'Auban laid down 
the oars, and seized the fowling-piece lying at the bottom of 
the. barge. He levelled it at them. The pursuers, terrified at 
the siglit of the gun, dashed aside and slackened their speed. 
— Lady Georgiana Fullerton. 

3. The character may bs personated when we have 
the direct speech, but we are nat permitted to use ac- 
cessories. The elocutionist is not allowed the liberties 
of the actor. In reciting the lines of Falstafi", di- 
rected to the grand jurors, whom he has waylaid, we 
are not allowed the use of a sword. We may stab at 
the imaginary juror as he lies trembling on the ground, 
but Falstaff's mighty weapon must be relegated to the 
property man. Leave such portrayal to the actor. 
Elocution calls for no properties. 

4. Where a personation occurs" within a persona- 
tion, the speaker is not allowed to drift from one into 
the other. The subordinate one is to be spoken in the 
manner in which the principal personation is character- 
ized. In the selection, ''The Old Surgeon's Story," by 
Eleanor C. Donnelly, an old surgeon tells of a youth's 
interview with his mother. In rendering this selection, 
it would be ridiculor^s for the reciter to use the tones of 
voice of the mother or child. The old surgeon is the one 
who speaks, even where he brings in the direct \vords of 



234 ET.EMENTS OF EXPRESSION. VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

the mother and child. His personality can not be lost 
sight of daring the entire selection. It is the promi- 
nent character. Assuming the voice or action of any 
other party would be a mistaken interpretation of the 
poem. 

GENERAL EXAMPLES. 

From Hamlet. Act 111. 

Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, 
trippingly on the tongue: but if you mouth it, as many of 
your players do, I had as lief the town-crier spoke my lines. 
Nor, do not saw the air too much with your hand, thus; but 
use all gently: for in the very torrent, tempest, and, as I may 
say. whirlwind of your passion you must acquire and beget a 
temperance that may give it smoothness. O, it offends me to 
the soul to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a pas- 
sion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the ground- 
lings, who for the most part, are capable of nothing but 
inexplicable dumb-shows and noise. I could have such a 
fellow whipped for o'erdoing Termagant; it out-herods Her- 
od: pray you, avoid it. Be not too tame neither, but let your 
own discretion be your tutor: suit the action to the word, the 
word to the action; with this special observance, that you 
o'erstep not the modesty of nature ; for anything so overdone 
is from the purpose of playing, whose end,both at the first and 
now, was and is, to hold, as 'twere, the mirror up to Nature: 
to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the 
very age and body of the time his form and pressure. Now 
this overdone, or come tardy of, though it make the unskil- 
ful laugh, cannot but make the judicious grieve; the censure 
of the which one must, in your allowance, o'erweigh a whole 
theatre of others. O, there be players, that I have seen play, 
and heard others praise, and that highly, not to speak it pro- 
fanely, that, neither having the accent of Christians, nor the 
gait of Christian, pagan, nor Turk, have so strutted and bel- 
lowed that I have tliought some of Nature's journeymen liad 
made men and not made them well, they imitated humanity 
so abominably. — Shakespeare. 



PERSONATION. 235 

From Mr. Isaacs. 

^'Tell liim to come now. Xoic — do you understand?" Then 
she added in a low tone, for my ear only, '•! don't think they 
know it, I am dying. I shall be dead before to-night. Don't 
tell him that. Make him come now. John knows. Is ow go. 
I am tired, ^o— wait: Did he save the man's life?" 

Yes; the man is safe and free in Thibet." 

"That was nobly done. ISTow go. Yon have always been 
kind to me and you love him. When you see me again, I shall 
be gone. When I am gone, put some flowers on me for 
friendship's sake. You have always been so kind. Good-bye, 
dear 3Ir. Griggs. Good-bye. ■ God keep you." 

F. Marion Crawford. 

From King Richard 11. Act IV. 

King Bichavd. Isow m;irk me how I will undo my- 
self.— 
I give this heavy weight from off my head, 
And this unwieldy scepter from my hand, 
The pride of kingly sway from out my heart: 
With mine own tears I wash away my balm, 
W^ith mine own hands I give away my crown, 
With mine own tongue deny my sacred state, 
With mine own breath release all duteous oaths : 
All pomp and majesty I do forswear: 
My manors, rents, and revenues, I forgo: 
(rod pardon all oaths that are broke to me ! 
God keep all vows unbroke are made to thee I 
Make me that nothing have, with nothing griev'd ; 
And thou wibh all pleas'd, that hast all achiev'd I 

I have no name, no title, 
jSTo not that name was given me at first. 
But 'tis usurp 'd. 

Oi that I were a mockery king of snow, 
Standing before the sun of Bolingbroke, 
To melt myself away in water drops 1 

Shalc^'jcarc. 



236 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 
From The Lion of Flanders. 

At lasfc, after many anxious and suspicious glances around 
liim in every direction the knight ventured to raise the visor 
of his helmet, so far as to make his features visible. Al~ 
though his countenance bore all the signs of long and severe 
suffering, yet the extraordinary vivacity of his eye.-, testitied 
of the lire which still glowed within his breast. For some 
moments he remained lost in thought, gazing fixedly upon 
the ruins ; then a bitter smile passed over his lips, his head 
sank upon his breast, and he seemed intent upon something 
at his feet; at last a tear fell from either eye, as he thus 
spoke : 

'■O my brave brothers in arms! these stones have been 
we tied with your noble blood, and here beneath my feet, you 
sleep the long sleep of deatii ! But happy you who have left 
this troublous life in your country's cause, and without hav- 
ing seen our beloved Flanders in bondage. The blood of him 
to whom you gave the proud name of the Lion bedewed this 
ground along with yours; but. less fortunate than you, he 
still survives— an outcast, left to sigh over your silent graves, 
like a helpless w^oman, impotent for aught but tears." — 
Hendrick Conscience. 

From Dion and the Sibyls. 

Hark ! did you hear the crash with which the fore-paws 
have come down? The steed seemed to be very near falling 
backward, but after a struggle of two or three seconds, recov- 
ered himself; and, O ye gods! just as you heard that ponderous 
thud with which he descended upon his fore-feet, the youth 
darted from the ground with a spring like his first, and he is 
now on the brute's baCk as before. He stoops to the horse's 
neck; he has caught the bridle in his teeth, and lifts that 
brave, clear face again. Listen to the multitude! Oh how 
the eiuje, euge, thunders from a hundred thousand sympathet- 
ic voices. The fell beast of a horse seems astonished. And 
lo! now he leaps from the jrround with all four feet at the 
same time. Lo ! the horse ieems to have ascert^iined that he 
who has this day mounted him is worthy of his service; do 



PERSONATION. 237 

you hear the tread of his hoofs. Faster and faster rushes the 
steed, always restrained by the outer torch, which is brought 
near his head, while the inner is held further to the rear. 
His sides are flecked with foam. The pace grows too rapid 
for a short curve, and the steed is now guided straight for 
the western opening in the arena. They are gone; and again 
hark! Is not that shout like the roar of waters on a storm- 
beaten shore, as a hundred thousand men proclaim the suc- 
cessof a generous and brave youth, who could face the chance 
of being torn linb from limb in order to give a poor slave like 
me, condemned to a frightful death, his life and his liberty, 
a home and a future?~Miles Gerald Keon. 

From The Odyssey. 

Yv'ith speed Telemachus obeys, and flies 

Where piled in heaps the royal armor lies; 

Four brazen helmets, eight refulgent spears, 

And four broad bucklers to his sire he bears: 

At once in brazen panoply they shone. 

At once each servant braced his armor on ; 

Around their king a faithful guard they stand, 

AVhile yet each shaft flew deathful from his hand, 

Chief after chief expired at every wound, 

And swell'd the bleeding mountain on the ground. 

^oon as his store of flying fates was spent. 

Against the wall he set the bow unbent. 

The hero stands oppress'd with mighty woe. 

On every side he sees the labor grow: 

"Oh cursed event', and oh unlook'd for aid! 

^Melanthius or the women have betray'd— 

Oh my dear son!" — The father with a sigh 

Then ceased: the ftlial virtue made reply: 

"Falsehood is folly, and "tis iust to own 

The fault committed : this was mine alo.ne ; 

My haste neglected yonder door to bar, 

And hence the villian has suppled their war." 

■ Pope. 



238 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSIOK^ VOCAL AKD rilYSlCAL 



CHAPTER XVI 



TONE COLOR. 

The power of some painters is so great, that, by one 
stroke of the brush, they can change the nature of a 
picture. They can convert a dismal scene into a smil- 
ing one, a weeping into a laughing child. 

We can as quickly and completely color an emotion 
b3^ means of vocal quality. Faure tells us, that "the 
speaker's palette is as rich and varied as that of the 
painter. Besides its lights and shadows, its broken 
tones and brilliant colors, it possesses infinite varieties 
of rhythm and timbre that may be combined to produce 
endless effects." 

In order to do this, we must color the words to fit the 
thought they express, we must make the sound "seem 
an echo to the sense." 

The following from Moore's — "Puck The Fairy," 
can only be justly rendered in a light, jaunty, delicate 
nitmner corresponding with its mirthful flow. 

To a miser's bed, where he snoring slept 

And dreamt of his cash, I slUy crept: 

Chink, chinlc o'er his pillow like money I rang, 

And he waked to catch-but away I sprang. 

Singing, I am the sprite 

Of the merry midnight, [light! 

Who laugh at weak mortals, and love the moon- 



TONE COLOR. 239 

Observe how inappropriate the hright, gay colors 
of the former would be to express the following from 
*'The Homeless Poor. "' 

There black waters in tlieir luring silence 
Under loathsome ashes crawl and creep, 
There the rats and vermin herd together, 
There God"s poor ones sometimes come to sleep. 

In slow darkness creeps the dismal river 
From its depths looks up a sinful rest, 
jMany a weary, baffled, hopeless wanderer ^ 
Has it drawn into its treacherous breast. « 

Adelaide A. Procter. 

This cheerless picture requires vocal colors sombre as 
" t he d i s mal river . ' * 

All writers of merit since Homer's day have under- 
stood the charm and potency of words w^hose sound 
echoes their sense. Dante acknowledges thiswheji he 
says, 

Could I command rough rhymes and hoarse, to suit 
That hole of sorrow, o'er which every rock 
His firm abutment rears, then might the vein 
Of fancy rise full springing. 

This desire of accomodating the sound to the sense 
has given birth to many words whose sound corresponds, 
resembles, or suggests the thing signified. 

Hence Tone Color embraces not only correspondence 
of sound and sense, but also resemblance and suggest- 
iveness. Among the following words may be found 
examples of each. 

Gush, whirl, cool, moan, whirring, slender, rugged, 



240 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

thunder, rough, shriek, ripple, sigh, cackle, weary, 
jar, click, clash, clink, tick, clang, rumble, clatter, 
boom, tinkle, bang, flutter, dash, grumble, clack, growl, 
clap, croak, roar, hiss, shiver, chirp, rustle, twitter, 
patter, linger, whizz, buzz, murmur, splanh, chuckle, 
crash . 

Pope, by introducing words of this nature, artfully 
imitates the sound made by a bowstririg in delivering 
an arrow. 

The string let fly, 
Twang'd short and sharp like the shrill swallows cry. 

In }:i.^ trans iatioii of the Iliad he imitates the felling 
of trees thus: 

Loud sounds the axe, redoubling strokes on strokes, 
On all sides round the forest hurls her oaks 
Headlong. Deep echoing groan the thickets brown. 
Then rustling, crackling, crashing thunder down. 

Pope again says, 

Wlien the tide rushes from her rumbling caves 
The rough rock roars; tumultuous boil the waves. 

The efforts of a dull author are thus suggested by the 
same poet: 

Just writes to make his barreness appear, 

And strains from hard-bound brains eight lines a year. 

Shakespeare says very delicately of queen Mab, 

She comes 
In sliape not bigger than agate stone. . . . 

Drawn by a team of little atomies: 

Her whip of criket bone, the lash of lilm. 



TONE COLOK. 241 



He says again, 



The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums 
Hath rung night's yawning peal. 

The effect which certain words, in the foregoing 
examples, produce, must be at|:ributed to their vowel 
and consonant colors. Certain sounds are expressive 
of certain emotions. Sad strains of music will affect 
us with an "ecstacy of woe" akin to that awakened by 
the artistic recitation of a pathetic poem. 

Sherman says, ''There is one particular set of sounds 
employed in groans, another in murmurs of pleasure 
or applause. It is clear that by the use of syllables or 
sounds from the one set or the other, the mind of the 
reader may be affected through suggestion of the re- 
spective emotion, and the author's meaning as contained 
in his words greatly strengthend and intensified." 

When the thought is lively and sparkling, hard conso- 
nants and heavy vowels will be in the minority; but 
liquid consonants and light vowels will be scarce when 
the thoii^'ht is more serious and vigorous. 

Weighty subjects usually depress the voice and are 
expressed in words containing fuller vowel colors. This 
is the reason we find it easier to pronounce some words 
in a low, others in a high pitch; e.g., toll, ring. 

Professor Tolman gave a very elaborate classification 
of vowel and consonant colors in the March number of 
the Andover Review, 1887. The vowels at the bottom 
of his scale, oo (wood, pull), o (gore), oo (gloom), aw 
(awe), etc., he says ''are peculiarly fitted to express 
solemnity, awe, horror, and deep grief, also slowness of 
motion, and extreme or oppressive greatness of size." 

The vowels he has at the top of the scale, i (little), e 



242 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

o 

(met), a (mat), etc., are used especially in words ex- 
pressing uncontrollable joy and delio^ht, excessive gaye- 
ty, triviality, rapid movement, delicacy, and physical 
littleness." 

"The surd mutes, p, k, t, express boldness, precipita- 
tion, unexpectedness, vigor, determination, explosive 
passion, and forcil)le and startling effects of all kinds. 
They must be the initial consonants of accented sylla- 
bles to have their full expressional value." ''Z and zh 
are rich, pleasant colors, as in easy, luxurious azure, 
pleasure. L and r smooth, especially 1, express above 
all others softness, smoothness, lingering love and long- 
ing." 

We must never hope to find whole poems strongly 
colored. Nor would such monotony be desirable. Only 
the emphatic parts receive appropriate tints. One word 
may give life and hue to a whole sentence. We should 
imitate the authors and iiot distribute light and shade 
too heavily. 

Complete control of Tone Color is necessary for the 
production of artistic results. 

"When loud surges lash the distant shore 

The hoarse rough verse should like the torrent roar. " 

How much more effective will not "the hoarse rouo^h 



"Soft is the strain when zephyr gently blows 

And the smooth stream in smoother numbers flows. 

And so should the voice flow in soft, persuasive tones 
enhancing and impressing the author's beauties. 



TONE COLOR. 243 

GENERAL EXAMPLES. 

From T2ie Temple of Fame. 

O'er the wide prospect as I gazed around, 
Sudden I heard a wild promiscuous sound, 
Like broken thunders that at a distance roar, 
Or billows murmuring on the hollow shore. 
Then gazing up, a glorious pile beheld, 
Whose tow'ring summit ambient clouds concealed. 
High on a rock of ice the structure lay, 
Steep its ascent, and slipp'ry was the way; 
The wondrous rock like Parian marble shone, 
And seemed, to distant sight, of solid stone. 



From Hell. GaTito IX. 

And now there came o'er the perturbed waves 
Loud-crashing, terrible, as if of a wind 
Impetuous, from conflicting vapours sprung, 
That 'gainst some forest driving all its might 
Plucks off the branches, beats them down and hurls 
Afar; then onward passing proudly sweeps 
Its whirlwind rage, while beasts and shepherds fly. 

Carifs Dante, 

From Midsummer Night's Dream. Act IL 

Fairies'' Song. 

L Fai. You spotted snakes, with double tono-^^e 
Thorny hedge-hogs, be not seen, 
Newts, and blind-worms, do no wrong; 
Come not near our fairy queen. 

Chorus. 
Philomel with melody. 
Sing now your sweet lullaby : 
Lulla, lulUa, lullaby; lulia, lulla, lullaby: 



244 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Never harm, 
Nor spell nor charm, 
Come our lovely lady ni^h; 
So, good night, with lullaby. 
11. Fai. Weaving spiders come not near 
Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence: 
Beetles blaclc, approach not near : 
Worm, nor snail, do no olTence. 

Shakespeare. 

From Odyssey. 

Two craggy rocks projecting to the main. 
The roaring winds temptestuous rage restrain ; 
Within, the waves in softer murmurs glide. 
And ships secure without their halsers ride. 

Pope's Translation. 

From Alexander's Feast. 

Now strike the golden lyre again; 

A louder yet, and yet a louder strain, 

Break his bands of sleep asunder 

And rouse him like a rattling peal of tiiunder. 

Hark, hark, the horrid sound 

Has raised up his head ; 

As awaked from the dead. 

And amazed, he stares around. 

Revenge, Revenge, Timotheus cries, 

See the Furies arise ; 

See the snakes that they rear 

How they hiss in their hair, 
And the sparkles that flash from their eyes! 

Dry den. 

From Macbeth. Act IV. 

For a charm of powerful trouble 
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. 
Double double toil and trouble, 
Fire burn and cauldron bubble. 

SMikespeare. 



TONE COLOR. 245 

From The Temple of Fame. 

But straight the direful trump of slander sounds; 

Through the big dome the doubling thunder bounds: 

Loud as the burst of cannon rends the skies^ 

The dire report through every region flies, 

In every ear incessant rumors rung, 

And gathering scandals grew on every tongue. 

From the black trumpet's rusty concave broke 

Sulphureous flames and clouds of rolling smoke ; 

The poisonous vapour blots the purple skies, 

And withers all before it as it flies. 

From Lalla Rookh. 

Loud rings the ponderous ram against the walls; 
T^ow shake the ramparts, now a buttress falls, 
But still no breach — "Once more, one mighty swing 
Of all your beams, together thundering!" 
There- fche wall shakes— the shouting troops exult, 
"Quick, quick discharge your weightiest catapult 
Eight on that spot, and Neksheb is our own !" 
'Tis done — the battlements come crashing down, 
And the huge wall, by that stroke riven in two, 
Yawning, like some old crater, rent anew. 
Shows the dim desolate city smoking through. 

Moore. 

From A Song for St. Cecilia's Day. 

The trumpet's loud clangor 

Excites us to arms 

With shrill notes of anger 

And mortal alarms. 

The double double double beat 

Of the thundering drum 

Cries, hark ! the foes come ; 

Charge, charge, 'tis too late to retreat. 

Dniden. 



246 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL, 
From The Faries of Knockshegowna. 

In the noon of night, o'er the stormy hills, 

The fairy minstrels play, 
And the strain, replete with fantastic dreams, 

On the wild gust flits away. 
Then the sleeper thinks, as the dreamful song 

On the blast to his slumber comes, 
That his nose as the church's spire is long, 

And, lilie its organ hums ! 

And when they spread their filmy wings 

In the dim moon's waning ray, 
Strange meteors dance, and the glittering rills 

Seem show'ring flery spray. 
And deep when booms the solemn toll 

Of the distant cloister bells. 
The clang, and the clash, and the tambour roll 

Of their midnight music swells. 

B. D. Williaw^. 

From The Virgin Mary's Bank. 

Out burst the pealing thunder, and the lightning leap'd 
about; 

And rushing with his watery war, the tempest gave a shout; 

And that vessel from a mountain wave came down with 
thund'ring shock: 

And her timbers flew like scatter'd spray on Inchidony's 
rock. 

Then loud from all that guilty crew one shriek rose wild and 
high. 

But the angry surge swept over them, and hush'd their 
gurgling cry ; 

And with a hoarse exulting tone the tempest pass'd away. 

And down, still chafing from their strife, th' Indignant wa- 
ters lay. 

/. /. Callanan. 



TONE COLOR. 247 

From A Memory, 

Low in the west gleam after gleam 
Glowed faint and fainter, till the last 
Made their djang day a living dream, 
To last as long as life shall last. 

And in the arches of the trees 
The wild birds slept with folded wing, 
And e'en the lips of the summer breeze, 
That sang all day, had eeased to sing. 

And all was silent save the rill 
That rippled round the lilies' feet, 
And sang, whilst stillness grew more still 
To listen to the murmur sweet. 

And now and then it surely seemed 
The little stream was lauo-hing low, 
As if its sleepy wavelets dreamed 
Such dreams as only children know. 

Sweet sang the stream as on it pressed. 
As sorrow sings a heart to sleep: 
As mother sings one child to rest, 
And for the dead one still will weep. 

Father Ryan. 



2i9 




Selcctioiis, 



-/. 




T 



250 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

A Night in June. 



L 
Rich is the scent of clover in the air, 
And from the woodbine, moonlight and the dew 
Draw finer essence than the daylight knew; 
Low murmm-s and an incense everywhere! 
Who spoke? Ah! surely in the garden there 
A subtile sound came from the purple crew 
That mount wistaria masts, and there's a clue 
Of some strange meaning in the rose-scent rare: 
Silence itself has voice in these June nights — 
Who spake? Why, all the air is full of speech 
Of Grod's own choir, all singing various parts; 
Be quiet and listen: hear — the very lights 
In yonder town, the waving of the beech. 
The maples' shades, — cry of the Heart of hearts! 



On such a night spoke raptured Juliet 

From out the balcon; and young Rosalind, 

Wandered in Arden like the April wind; 

And Jessica the bold Lorenzo met; 

And Perdita her silvered lilies set 

In some quaint vase, to scent the prince's mind 

With thoughts of her; and then did Jaque^ fiiKi 

Sad tales, and from them bitter sayings get. 

To all of these the silence sang their thought; 

T(» all of these it gave their thought new grace: 

Soprano of the lily, roses' lorn- 

And passionate contralto, oak boughs' bass — 

All sing the thought we bring them, be it fraught 

With the sad love of lovers' or God's own. 



SELECTIONS. 251 

III. 

This sweetness and this silence fill my soul 
With longino^ and dull pain, that seem to break 
Some cord within my heart, and sudden take 
Life out of life: and then there sounds the roll 
Of wheels upon the road, the distant toll 
Of bells wdthin the town: these rude things make 
Life wake to life; and all the longings shake 
Their airy wings,— swift fly the pain and dole. 
Again the silence and the nmte sounds sweet 
Begin their speaking; I alone am still. 
What are 3^oq singing, O you starry flowers 
Upon the jasmine^— ''Voicr and incomplete." 
And you, clematis? — ''Void the joys that till 
The heart-of love until His Heart is ours." 

IV. 

O choir of silence, without noise of word! 
A human voice would break the mystic spell 
Of wavering shades and sounds; the lily bell 
Here at my feet sings melodies unheard; 
And clearer than the voice of any bird, — 
Yes, even than that lark which loves so well, 
Hid in the hedges, all the world to tell 
In trill and triple notes that May has stirred. 
"O Love complete!" soft sings the mignonette; 
"O Heart of All!" deep sighs the red, red rose; 
"O Heart of Christ!" the lily voices meet 
In fugue on fugue: and from the flag-edged, wet, 
Lush borders of the lake, the night wind blows 
The tenor of the reeds — ''Love, love complete." 

Maurice F. Ec/an. 



252 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL 

Hamlet Upbraids the Queen. 



Hamlet. Now, mother, what's the matter? 

Queen. Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended. 

Ham. Mother, you have my father much offended. 

Queen. Come,c6me, you answer with an idle tongue. 

Ham. Go, go; 3^ou question with an idle tonofue. 

Queen. Wh}^ how now, Hamlet! what's the matter 
now? 
Have you forg-otten me? 

Ham. No, by the rood, not so: 

You are the Queen, your husband's brother's wife; 
And — would it were not so! — you are my mother. 

Queen. Nay, then I'll set those to you that can speak. 

Ham. Come, comq, and sit you down; you shall not 
budge ; 
You go not till I set you up a glass 
Where you may see the inmost part of you. 

Queen. What wilt thou do? thou wilt not murder 
me? 
Help, help, ho! 

Hain. Leave wringing of your hands; peace! sit you 
down. 
And let me wring your heart; for so 1 shall, 
If it be made of penetrable stuff'; 
If damned custom have not brass'd it so, 
That it is proof and bulwark against sense. 

Queen. What have I done, that thou darest wag thy 
tongue 
In noise so rude against me? 

Ham. Such an act 

That blurs the grace and blush of modest}" ; 
Calls virtue hypocrite; takes off the rose 
From the fair forehead of an innocent love, 



SELECTIONS. ' 253 

And sets a blister there; makes niarriao:e-vows 
As false as dicers' oaths: O, such a deed 
As from the body of contraction plucks 
The very goul; and sweet religion makes 
A rhapsody of words: Heaven's face doth glow; 
Yea this solidity and compound mass, 
AVith tristful visage, as against the doom, 
Is thought-sick at the act. 

Queen . Ah me, what act, 

That roars so loud and thunders in the index? 

Ham. Look here upon this picture, and on this. 
The counterfeit presentment of two brothers. 
See what a grace was seated on this brow; 
Hyperion's curls; the front of Jove himself; 
An eye like Mars to threaten and command; 
A station like the herald Mercury 
Kew-lighted on a heaven-kissing hill; 
A combination and a form indeed, 
Where every god did seem to take his seal, 
To give the world assurance of a man: 
This was your husband. Look 3^ou now what follows; 
Here is your husband; like a mildew'd ear. 
Blasting his wholesome brother. Have you eyes? 
Could you on this fair mountain leave to feed, 
And batten on this moor? Ha! have you eyes? 

Hamlet speak no more! 
Thou turn'st mine eyes into nn^ very soul; 
And there I see such black and grained spots 
As will not leave their tinct. 

O, speak to me no more! 
These words like daggers enter in mine ears: 
. Ko more sweet Hamlet! 

Bam. A nmrderer and a villain; 



254 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL, 

A slave that is uot twentieth part the tithe 
Of your precedent lord; a Yice of kings; 
A cutpurse of the empire and the rule, 
That from a shelf the precious diadem stole^ 
And put it in his pocket: 

Queen. No more. 

Ham, A king of shreds and patches, — 
Enter the Ghost. 
Save me and hover o'er me with your wings. 
You heavenly gaurdsl — What would your gracious iig 
ure? 

Queen. Alas, he's mad! 

Ham, Do you not come your tardy son to chide, 
That, lapsed in time and passion, lets go by 
Th' important act of your dread command? 
O, say! 

Ghost. Do not forget. This visitation 
Is but to whet thy almost-blunted purpose. 
But, look, amazement on thy mother sits: 
O, step between her and her lighting soul! 
Conceit in weakest bodies strongest works. 
Speak to her, Hamlet. 

Ham. How is't with you, lady? 

Queen. Alas, how is't with you. 
That you do bend your eye on vacancy, 
And with th' incorporal air do hold discourse? 

Whereon do you look? 

Ham. On him, on him! Look you how pale 
glares! 
His form and cause conjoin 'd, preaching to stones. 
Would make them capable.— Do not look upon me; 
Lest with this piteous action you convert 
My stern aifects: then what I have to do 



SELECTIONS. 255 

Will want true color: tears, perchance, for blood. 

Queen. To whom do you speak this? 

Ham. Do you see nothino- there? 

Queen. Nothing at all; yet all that is I see. 

Ham. Nor did you nothing hear? 

Queen, No, nothing but ourselves. 

Ham. Why, look you there! look, how it steals 
away ! 
My father, in his habit as he lived! 
Look, where he goes, even now, out at the portal! 

\Exit Cthost. 

Queen. This is the very coinage of your brain: 
This bodiless creation ecstasy 
Is very cunning in. 

Ham . Ecstacy ! 

My pulse, as yours, doth temperately keep time, 
And makes as healthful music: 'tis not madness 
Tliat I have utter 'd: bring me to the test, 
And I the matter will re- word; which madness 
Would gambol from . Mother, for iove of grace, 
Lay not that flattering unction to your soul. 
That not your trespass but my ma<lness speaks: 
It will but skin and film the ulcerous place, 
Whilst rank corruption, mining all within, 
Infects unseen. Confess yourself to Heaven; 
Kepent what's past, avoid what is to come. 
And do not spread the compost on the weeds, 
To make them ranker. Forgive me this my virtue; 
For in the fatness of these pursy times 
Virtue itself of vice must pardon beg. 
Yea, courb and woo for leave to do him good. 

Queen. O, Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in twain. 

Hani. O, throw away the worser |)art of it, 



256 ELEMENTS OF EXPHESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL 

And live the purer with the other half. 

Good night, mother. — Hamlet, Act III. 



Homeless. 



It is cold, dark midnight, yet listen 

To that patter of tiny feet I 
Is it one ot your dogs, fair lady, 

Who whines in the bleak cold street '^ 
Is it one of your silken spaniels 

Shutout in the snow and the sleet? 

My dogs sleep in their baskets, 
Safe from the darkness and snow; 

All the beasts in our Christian England, 
Find pity wherever they go — 

(Those are only the home e-s children 
Who are wandering to and fro). 

Look out in the gusty darkness, — 
I have seen it again and again, 

That shadow, that flits so slowly 

Up and down past the window-pain: — 

It is surely some criminal lurking 
Out there in the frozen rain ^ 

Nf.y, our criminals are all sheltered. 

I'hey are pitied and taught and fed: 
Til it is only a sister-woman 

That has got neither food nor bed, — 
And the night cries, "Sin to be living," 

And the River cries, "Sin to be dead.' 



SELECTIONS. 257 

Look out at that farthest corner . 

Where the wall stands blank and bare: — 
Can that be a pack which a Pedler 

Has left and forgotten there? 
His goods lying out unsheltered 

Will be spoilt by the damp night iiir. 

Nay; — goods in our thrifty England 
Are not left to lie and grow rotten, 

For each man knows the market value 
Of silk or woollen or cotton .... 

But in counting the riches of England 
I think our Poor are forgotten . 

Our Beasts and our Thieves and our Chatties 

Have weight for good or for ill; 
But the Poor are only His image, 

His presence, His words, His will; — 
And so Lazarus lies at our door-step 

And Dives neglects him still. 

Adelaide A. Procter. 



Hotspur's Death, 



Hotspur. If I mistake not thou art Harry Monmouth, 

Prince. Thou speak'st as if I would deny my name. 

Hot. My name is Harry Percy. 

Prince . Why, then I see 

A very valiant rebel of that name. 
I am the Prince of Wales; and think not, Percy, 
To share with me in glory any more; 
Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere; 



258 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Nor can one England brook a double reign, 
Of Harry Percy and the Prince of Wales. 

Hot. Nor shall it, Harry; for the hour is come 
To end the one of us; and would to God 
Thy name in arms were now as great as mine! 

Prince. I'll make it greater ere I part from thee; 
And all the budding honors on thy crest 
I'll crop to make a garland for my head. 

Hot. I can no longer brook thy vanities. 

[TheyJigJit. 
Enter Falstaff. 

Fal. Well said, Hal! to it, Hal! Nay, you shall find 
no boy's play here, — I can tell you. 

Re-enter Douglas; he fights with Falstaff, tvho falls 
down as if he tvere dead, and exit Douglas, Hotspur 
is ivounded^ and falls. 

Hot. O Harry, thou hast robb'd me of my youth! 
I better brook the loss of brittle life 
Than those proud titles thou hast won of me; 
They wound my thoughts worse than thy sword my flesh: 
But thoughts the slaves of life, and life Time's fool, 
i\ndTime that takes survey of all the world, 
Must have a stop. O, I could prophesy, 
But that the earthy and cold hand of death 
Lies on my tongue; no, Percy, thou art dust. 
And food for — 

Prince. For worms, brave Percy; fare thee well 
great heart! 
Ill-weaved ambition, how much art thou sunk! 
When that this body did contain a spirit, 
A kingdom for it was too small a bound; 
But now two paces of the vilest earth 
Is room enough. This earth that bears the dead 



SELECTIONS, '259 

Bears not alive so stout a gentleman, 

If thou vvert sensible of courtesy, 

I should n(^t make so dear a show of zeal; 

But let my favours hide thy mangled face; 

And, even in thy behalf, I'll thank myself 

For doing these fair rites of tenderness. 

Adieu, and take thy praise with thee to Heaven! 

Thy ignominy sleep with thee in the grave. 

But not remembered in thy epitaph! — 

[Sees Falstaff on tlie ground. 
What, old acquaintance! could not all this flesh 
Keep in a little life? Poor Jack, farewell! 
I could have better s})ared a better man: 
O, I should have a heavy miss of thee, 
If I were much in love with vanity! 
Death hath not struck so fat a deer to-day, 
Though many dearer, in this bloody fray. [Exit. 

Fal. [Rising?^ Ha! 'twas time to counterfeit, or that 
hot termagant Soot had paid me scot and lot too. Coun- 
terfeit! I lie; lam no counterfeit: to die, is to be coun- 
terfeit, for he is but the counterfeit of a man who hath 
not the life of a man: but counterfeit dying, when 
a man thereby liveth, is to be no counterfeit, but the 
true and perfei-t image of life indeed. The better part 
of valour is discretion; in the which bettei- pari i 
saved my life. — I am afraid of this gunpowder Percy, 
though he be dead: how, if he should counterfeit too, 
and rise? by my faith, I am afraid he would prove the 
better counterfeit. Therefore i'lJ make him sure: yea, 
and ril swear i kilTd him. Why may not he rise as 
well as I? Nothing confutes me but eyes, and nobody 
sees me. Therefore, sirrah, with a new wound in your 
thigh, come you along with me. 

[Takes Hotspur on his bade. 



260 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL, 

Re-enter Prince Henry and Lancaster. • 

Prince. Come, brother John ; full bravely hast thou 
fleshed 
Thy maiden sword. 

Lancaster. But, soft! whom have we here? 

Did you not tell me this fat man was dead? 

Prince. I did; I saw him dead, breathless and bleed- 
ino- 
Upon the p^round. — 
Art thou alive? or is it fantasy 
That plays upon our sight? I pr-ythee, speak; 
We will not trust our eyes without our ears: 
Thou art not what thou seem'st. 

FaL No, that's certain; I am not a double man: but 
if I be not Jack Falstaff, then I am a Jack. There is 
Percy! (Throwing his body doiunj^li your father will 
do me any honour, so; if not, let him kill the next 
Percy himself ! 1 look to be either earl or duke, lean 
assure you . 

Prince., Why, Percy I kill'd myself, and saw thee 
dead. 

Fal. Didst thou? — Lord, Lord, how this world is 
given to lying! — I grant you 1 was down and out of 
breath; and so was he; but we rose both at an instant, 
and fought a long hour by Shrewsbury clock. If I may 
be believed, so: if .not, let them that should reward 
valour bear the sin upon their own heads. I'll take it 
upon my death, I s:ave him this wound in the thigh: if 
the man were alive, and would deny it, zounds, I 
would make him eat a piece of my sword. 

Lan . This is the strangest tale that ever I heard . 

Prince. This is the strangest fellow, brother John. — 
Come, bring your luggage nobly on your back; 



SELECTIONS. 1261 

For my part, if a lie may do thee grace, 
I'll gild it with the happiest terms I have. — 
The trumpet sounds retreat; the day is ours. 
Come, brother, let's to th' highest of the field, 
To see what friends are living, who are dead. 

The First Part of King Henry IV. , Act V. 



At the Seashore. 



A child's first sight of the ocean is an era in his life. 
It is a new world without him, and it awakens a new 
world within him. There is no other novelty to be 
compared with it, and after life will bring nothing at 
all like it. A rapid multitude of questions rush upon 
the mind; yet the child is silent, as if he needed not an 
answer to any ox them. They are beyond answering; 
and he feels that the sight itself satisfies him better than 
any answer. Those great bright outspread waters! the 
idea of God is the only echo to them in his mind; and 
now henceforth he is a different child, because he has 
seen the sea. 

So is it with us when we sit by the ocean of creative 
love. Questions throng upon us; problems start upon 
all sides; mysteries intersect each other. Yet so lono- as 
we are children, are childlike in heart and spirit, the 
questions are not difficulties. Either they answer, them- 
selves, or they do not need an answer, like questions 
which are exclamations only; or we would rather not 
have an answer, lest peradventure some high thing 
should be lowered or some holy thing be made common. 
To gaze — to gaze is all we desire. The fact that so 
much is mystery to us, is no trouble. It is love. That 



262 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION. VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

i^Ti enough. We trust it. We would al moist rather it 
was not made p aiuer. It would be darker if it were. 
Whereas now, though it is indistinct, it is tranquillizing 
also, like the beauty of a summer night. We have 
thoughts which cannot be put into word.s, but it seems 
to us as if they more than answered all difficulties. How 
the broad watei's flow and shine, and how the many- 
headed waves leap up to the sun and sparkle, arid then 
sink down into the depths again, yet not to rest; and, 
placid as the azure expanse appears, how evermore it 
thunders on the hard white sand, and fringes the coast 
with a bewitching silver mist! Why should we ever stir 
from where we are? To look on the sea seems bettter 
than to learn the science of its storms, the grandeur of 
its steadfastness, or the many moods of its beautiful 
mutabilities. The heathen called the sea-spirit father. 
There was muca in the thought. But when we cease to 
be children and to be childlike, there is no more this 
simple enjoyment. We ask questions, not because we 
doubt, but because, when love is not all in all to us. we 
mu.-^t have knowledge, or we chafe and pine. Then a 
cloud comes between the sun and the sea, and that ex- 
panse of love, which was an undetined beauty, a con- 
fused magniticence now becomes black and ruffled, and 
breaks up into dark wheeling currents of predestina- 
tion, or mountainous waves of divine anger and judicial 
vengeance; and the white surf tells us of many a sunken 
reef, where we had seen nothing but a smooth and 
glossy azure plain, rocking gently to and fro, as un- 
ruffled as a silken banner. 

We shall be children once again, and on the same 
shore, and we shall then never leave it more, and we 
shall see down into the crystal depth of this creative 



SELECTIONS. 263 

love, and its wide waters will be the breadth and meas- 
ure of oar joy, and its glancing splendor will be the 
light of our eternal life, and its soft thunder will be the 
endless, solemn, thrilling music of our beatitude. O 
happy we! but we must be changed lirst of all, and 
perchance by fire! — Father Faber. 



The Gheber's Glen. 

But see — he starts — what heard he then? 

Taut dreadful shout! — across the glen 

From the land->side it comes, and loud 

Rings through the chasm; as if the crowd 

Of fearful things that haunt that dell, 

Its Gholes and Dives and shapes of hell, 

Had all in one dread howl broke out, 

So loud, so terrible that shout! 

"They come — the Moslems come! " he cries, 

His proud soul mounting to his eyes — 

''Now spirits of the brave, who roam 

Enfranchised through yon starry dome. 

Rejoice, for souls of kindred tire 

Are on the wing to join your choir!" 

He said, and, light as bridegrooms bound 

To their young loves, reclimbed the steep 

And gained the shrine. His chiefs stood round; 

Their swords, as with instinctive leap. 

Together, at that cry accurst, 

Had from their sheaths, like sunbeams, burst. 

And hark! again, again it rings: 

Near and more near its echoings 

P^al through the chasm. Oh! wdio that then 



26J: ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Had seen those listening warrior-men, 



With their swords g'rasped, their eyes of flame 

Turned on their chief, could doubt the shame^ 

The idignant shame, with which they thrill 

To hear those shouts, and j^et be still? 

He read their thoughts — they were his own— 

''What! while onr arms can wield these blades, 

Shall we die tamely? die alone? 

Without one victim to our shades. 

One Moslem heart, where, buried deep, 

The sabre from its toil may sleep? 

No; God of Iran's burnino- skies! 

Thou scorn 'st the inglorious sacrifice. 

No — though of all earth's hope bereft, 

Life, swords, and vengeance still are left. 

We'll make yon valley's reeking caves 

Live in the awestruck minds of men, 

Till tyrants shudder, when their slaves 

Tell of the Gheber's bloody glen. 

Follow, brave hearts! — this pile remains 

Our refuge still from life and chains; 

But his the best, the holiest bed. 

Who sinks entombed in Moslem dead!" 

Moore, 



Cassius Inciting Brutus to Conspiracy. 



Cassius. Will you go see the order of the course? 

Brutus. Not I . 

Cass. I pray you, do. 

Bru. I am not gamesome; I do lack some part 



SELECTIONS. 265 

Of that quick spirit that is in Anthony . 
Let me not hinder, Cassius, your desires; 
I'll leave you. 

Cass. Brutus, I do observe you now of late; 
I have not from your eyes that gentleness 
And show of love as I was wont to have: 
You bear too stubborn and too straiig-e a hand 
Over your friend that loves you. 

Bru. Cassius, 

Be not deceived: if 1 have veiPd my look; 
1 turn the trouble of my countenance 
Merely upon myself. Vexed I am 
Of late with passions of some difference, 
Conceptions only proper to myself, 
Which give some soil, perhaps, to my behaviours; 
But let not therefore my good friends be grieved, — 
Among which number, Cassius be you one, — 
Xor construe any further my neglect. 
Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war, 
Forgets the shows of love to other men. 

Cass. Then, Brutus, 1 have much mistook your 
passion; 
By means whereof, this breast of mine hath buried 
Thoughts of great value, worthy cogitations. 
Tell me, good Brutus, can you see your face? 

Bru. No, Cassius; for the eye sees not itself 
But by reiiection from some other thing. 

Cass. 'T is just: 
And it is very much lamented, Brutus, 
That you have not such mirrors as will turn 
Your hidden worthiness into your e^^e. 
That you might see j^our shadow. T have heard, 
Where many of the best respect in Rome, — 
Except immortal Caesar, — speaking of Brutus, 



266 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VCCAL AKD PHYSICAL* 

Aiid groaning underneath this age's yoke, 

Have wished that nol)Ie Brutus had his eyes. 

Bru. Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius, 

That you would have nie seek into myself 

For that which is not in me? 

Cass. Therefore, good Brutus, be prepared to hear: 

And, since you cannot see yourself 

So well as by reflection, I, your glass 

Will modestly discover to yourself 

That of yourself which you yet know not of. 

And be not jealous on me, gentle Brutus: 

Were I a common laugher, or did use 

To stale with ordinary oaths my love 

To every new protestor; if you know 
That I do fawn on men, and hug them hard, 

And after scandal them; or if you know 
That I profess myself, in banqueting, 
To all the rout, th^n hold me dangerous. [SJwut, 

Bru. What means this shouting? I do fear the people 
(yhoose Caesar for their king. 

Cass. Ay, do you fear it? 

Then must I think you would not have it so. 

B7m. I would not, Cassius; yet I love him well. 
But wherefore do you hold me here so long? 
What is it that you would impart to me? 
If it be aught toward the general good, 
Set honour iu one eye and death i' the other. 
And I will look on death indifferently; 
For let the gods so speed me as I love 
The name of honor more than I fear death. 

Cass. I know that virtue to l)e in you, Brutus, 
As well as I do know your outward favour. 
Well, honor is the subject of my story. 
I cannot tell what you and other men 



SELECTIONS. 267 

Think of this life; but for m}^ single self, 

I had as lief not be as live to be 

In awe of such a thing as 1 myself. 

I was born free as Caesar; so were you. 

We both have fed as well; and w^e can both 

Endure tie Winter's cold as well as he: 

For once upon a raw and gusty day, 

Thp troubled Tiber chafing wdth her shores, 

Ciesar taid to me, Barest tJwu, Cassius, noiu 

Leap in icitli me into this angry flood, 

And swim to yonder point? Upon the word, .; 

Accoutred as I was, I plunged in, 

And bade him follow: so indeed he did. 

The torrent roar'd and we did bufiet it 

With lusty sinews, throwing it aside 

And stemming it with hearts of controversy: 

But, ere we could arriye the point proposed, 

Caesar cried. Help me, Cassius, or I sink! 

I, as ^neas, our great ancestor. 

Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder 

The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber 

Did I the tired Caesar: and this man 

Is now become a god; and Cassius is 

A wretched creature, and must bend his body, 

If Caesar carelessly but nod on him. 

He had a fever when he was in Spain; 

And when the fit was on him I did mark 

How he did shake: 'tis true, this god did shake: 

His coward lips did from their colour fly; 

And that same eye, whose bend doth awe the world, 

Did lose his lustre. I did hear him groan: 

Ay, and that tongue of his, that bade the Romans 

Mark him, and write his speeches in tlieir books, 

AlaSj it cried. Give me some drink, Titinius^ 



268 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

As a sick girl. — Ye gods, it doth amaze me, 

A man of sucii a feeble temper should 

So get the start of the majestic world, 

And bear the palm alone. [Shout 

Bru. Another general shout! 
I do believe that these applauses are 
For some new honours that are heap'd on Caesar. 

Cass. Why, man , he doth bestride the narrow world 
Like a Colossus; and we petty men 
AV^alk under his huoe legs, and peep about 
To find ourselves dishonourable graves. 
Men at some time are masters of their own fates: 
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, 
But in ourselves, that we are underlings. 
Brutus M\& Cwsar: what should be in that Ccesar'i 
Why should that name be sounded more than yours?' 
Write them together, yours is as fair a name: 
Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well: 
Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with them, , 
Brutus will start a spirit as soon as Ccesar. 
Now, in the names of all the gods at once. 
Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed. 
That he is grown so great? Age thou art shamed! 
Kome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods! 
When went there by an age, since the great flood, 
But it was famed with more than with one man? 
When could they say, till now, that talk'd of Rome, 
That her wide walls encompass'd but one man? 
Now is it Rome indeed, and room enough, 
When there is in it but one only man? 
O, you and I have heard our fathers say 
There was a Brutus once that would have brook'd 
Th' eternal Devil to keep his state in Rome, 
As easily as a king! 



SELECTIONS. ' *269 

Bru. That you do love me, i am nothiiio: jealous; 
What you would work me to, I have some aim: 
How i have tl o lo-ht of this, and of these times, 
I shall recount hereafter; for the present, 
I would not, so with love I might entreat you, 
Be any further moved. What you have said, 
I will consider; what you have to say, 
1 will with patience hear; and find a time 
Both meet to hear and answer such high things. 
Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this: 
Brutus had rather be a villager 
Than repute himself a son of Rome 
Under such hard conditions as this time 
Is like to lay upon us. 

Cass. I am glad that my weak words 
Have struck but thus much show of fire from Brutus. 

Julius Ccesar^ Act I. 



Decoration Day Oration. 

I am profoundly impressed with tlie change which 
has come over the character of the day we celebrate. 
Founded in the gloom of war, it has come to be a day of 
glorious recollection and of patriotic anticipations. 
Time, which spares neither grief nor joy, has so modi- 
fied the sorrows of this nation as to enable us to smile 
through our tears over the glorious prospect which lies 
befors us. Our hearts beat with quickening gratitude 
to the heroic dead whose exalted patriotism has assured 
us our destiny. 

The character of a nation is often known by its festi- 
vals. The character of the festival we celebrate to-day 



270 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

is the most unique in the history of the world. We 
celebrate in all its entirety the sublime epoch when fi- 
delity to the republic triumphed over the dangers that 
comprised the civil war, and we emerged from the con- 
flict radiant with the light of liberty established and 
indestructible American institutions with the undying 
vigor of American patriotism. 

The conflict in which we engaged was not made by the 
generation in which we lived. It was a legacy handed 
down by the fathers of the republic after the foreign 
invader had been driven out. 

But the Union soldier was great in peace as well as 
in war. His course was marked by a heroism greater 
than that of any other soldier in the world, for his was 
not merely a triumph of arms; it was not merely a con- 
clusion of physical triumph. It was a triumph of heart 
and mind, for the Union soldier won the love of the foe 
that he vanquished. To-day, throughout the length 
and breadth of the country, there is a love for the flag 
of the Union. The victory of the Union soldiers was 
unique among the victories which have been won in war- 
fares of the world. This festival celebrates all that he 
did and all that he was. All that he was is unique, for 
this is not essentially a military memorial alone. To- 
day the union stands not defended by armed force or 
by frowning fortresses. Its foundations are laid in the 
hearts of our citizens. South as well as Korth, and it 
will be durable and eternal because of that foundation. 
But although the vigor of the Union so'dier in taking 
up arms was creditable to him, he al^o deserves credit 
for the manner in which he laid down his arms. Nev- 
er before did victorious army so lay down its arms at 
the behest of rulers without the sliohtest disturbance 



SELECTIONS. 27i 

throughout the length and breadth of the land. 

The lesson which this day teaches above all others is 
that no matter what difficulties may arise, the patriot- 
ism of this republic will be able to surmount them. 
Xo matter what dangers may threaten our institutions 
there is always to be in reserve the American patriotism 
sufficient to solve every question and aiirmount every 
difficulty. The victory of the Union soldiers proved 
the capacity and the power of this patriotism wdiich un- 
derlies American citizenship. No sooner had the smoke 
lifted from Southern battlefields; no sooner had the 
rivers that had run red with blood once more resumed 
their course clear and pellucid to the sea, and the South 
was seen humbled, than the men of the North turned 
with charity and brotherly love to the aid of the men 
with whom they had fought. The victory which was 
achieved for the Union was thus made a permanent one 
for the anion of these States. 

The greatest of English writers has said that all 
human institutions are but phantoms disappearing with 
the dawn — if not of this da3% at least of another. We 
have had abundant experience of this in nations that 
have gone before. We are told that the barbarians 
that swept down from the North upon the Old World 
were impelled by hunger; that they were unable to 
carry on agriculture, and swooped dow^n upon civiliza- 
tion not so much for the conquest as for bread. And 
Ave are told that in this day and in our cities there are 
o-reat bodies of men that are hungering for bread, ready 
to be led to the work of destruction by anarchists. 
But I have no fear of any such result for this countr}^ 
w^hen I see the faces of these men who have once done 
their country a service. The ranks of patriots are re- 



272 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND P**rSICAL. 

cniited from the poorest quarters, and from the tene- 
ment house go forth men to become great and good 
citizens. The safety of the State is to be found in the 
intelligence and patriotism of the common people, and 
upon this we can rely for protection. There are all 
over this country, unknown and unsuspected heroes 
who, when occ ision should demand it would become 
Grants and Shermans and Sheridans. 

The lesson of the Union was not ended in 1865. Tht. 
mission of the Union soldier did not close with the war. 
It continues to-day as a patriotism which is the best se- 
curity of the government. We are reminded of the 
survivors as we turn to-day from the graves of the 
brave men who were the heroes of the war. 

On the Capitol at Washington, surmounting the great 
dome where Congress is in session, there may be seen a 
bright light high above all else on the building. And 
as you recede from the place, and the turrets and fluted 
columns of the edifice disappear in the darkness, the 
light at the top seems to be higher and higher, and 
finally seems to blend with the horizon until final iy only 
this light marks the temple of freedom of our heioved 
government. And, as we celebrate this Decoration 
Day, looking back on the martyrs of the civil war, 
their deeds shall be to us the brilliant light which shall 
grow ever brighter and illumine the pathway of the 
republic to libert}^, pi:osperity, and happiness. — IRn. 
jy. Bourlce Cochran. 



Hamlet* s Plan to Catch the King. 
Hamlet. O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! 



SELECTIONS. 273 

Is it not monstrous, that this player here, 

But in a fiction, in a dream of passion, 

Could force his soul so to his own conceit, 

That from her working all his visage wann'd; 

Tears in his eyes, distraction in's aspect, 

A broken voice, and his whole function suiting 

With forms to his C(mceit? and all for nothing! 

For Hecuba! 

What's Hecuba to him. or he to Hecuba, 

That he should weep for her? What would he do, 

Had he the motive and the cue for passion 

That I have? He would drown the stage with tears 

And cleave the general ear with horrid speech; 

Make mad thaguilty, and appall the free. 

Confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed 

The ve^y faculties of my eyes and ears. Yet I, 

A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak. 

Like John-a-dreams, impregnant of my cause. 

And can sa^^ nothing; no, not for a kiug 

Upon whose property and most dear life 

A damn'd defeat was made. Am I a coward? 

Who calls me villain? breaks my pate across? 

Plucks off my beard, and blows it in my face? 

Tweaks me by th' nose? gives me the lie i' the throat, 

As deep as to the lungs? who does me this? 

Ha! 

'Swounds, I should take it; for it cannot be 

But I am pigeon-livered, and lack gall 

To make oppression bitter; or, ere this, 

I should have fatted all the region kites 

With this slave's offal. Blood3^ bloody villain! 

Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain! 

O veno'ance! — 



274 ELEMENTS OF EXPKESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave, 
That I. the son of a dear father marder'd, 
Prompted to my revenge by Heaven and Hell, 
Must, like a trnll, unpack my heart with words, 
And fall a — cursing, like a very drab, 
A scullion ! 

Fie upon't foh! About, my brain! — I've heard 
That guilty creatures sitting at a play 
Have by the very cunning of the scene 
Been struck so to the soul, that presently 
They have proclaim'd their malefactions; 
For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak 
With most miraculous organ. I'll have players 
Piay something like the murder of my father 
Before mine uncle: I'll observe his looks; 
I'll tent him to the quick: if he but blench, 
I know my course. The spirit that I^have seen 
May be the Devil: and the Devil hath 'power 
T' assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps. 
Out of my weakness and my melancholy, — 
As he is very potent with such spirits, — 
Abuses me to damn me. I'll have grounds 
More relative than this: the play's the thing 
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King. 

Hamlet^ Act II. 



The Bard's Story. 



(The Prince of this legend was the husband of Ethna, who with her 
sister Fid alma, also a princess of Meath, saw St. Patrick celebrating 
Mass 6m morning by a river. They were attracted by the sight; he 
answered their questions and baptized them.) 



SELECTIONS. ZiO 

Love makes man's life a glory; hate, a hell; 
A warning to all warriors^ this I tell; 

Strongest of the Fini, he, the Prince, alone 
Knelt by the river, sad, and made his moan. 
His lands were wide_, his people staunch and true, 
And in his palace four fair children grew. 

His wife was Ethna, Princess mild of Meath, 
Graceful and tall, a lily in its sheath. 
The Mass was said each day beneath his roof, 
And evil from his household held aloof. 

And he had seen great Patrick when he came. 
At Paschal time, and lighted Christian flame. 
And he had seen the saint make poison good 
By words of prayer, while hatred near him stood. 

And only in defence of clan and life. 
Since he had learned of Christ, had he made strife. 
But though his cattle grazed in richest green, 
Black spots and red spots by the river's sheen: 

And though his bards his prowess daily sang, . 
His moans beside the reedy river rang 
At fall of night^some piercing loud and shrill, 
Others that brouo-ht to hearers death-like chill. 



'^Forgive, forgiveP' he murmured] "' oh! forgive! 
Mow can I bear my load of sin and live? 
Oh! luords of fire you spoke, great Patrick, Saint, ' 
Ere the clear stream had ivashed froin me sin's taint. 



276 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

'Even Red Conu, the slayer of your kin, 
Forgive, foro^ive, if you would heaven win.' 
'He sleiu my men J Forgive,' the Saint replied, 
'Though through his wrath* your clansmen oft have 
died.' 

'Forgive,' he said. ^He laughed my threats to scorn?' 
'Forgive, forgive! and win eternal morn\ 
Forgive Red Conn, and hurt him not, I pray; 
Your sister "fe son is he. Forgive, I say.' 

'Let me but' fight for Christ with sword and brand — ' 
'Tliou canst not fight thy sin with carnal hand.' 
And then I promised; and the water flowed. 
And all my heart with love for Patrick glowed. 

Conn came not near me; hid he dark and deep 
In marsh and bog where strange, wild creatures sleep. 
Once, when I thought of clansmen cold and dead, 
Killed by his hand ere he to bogs had fled, 

My wrath awoke, but dying soon in peace, 

It to my better musings gave release. 

Peace made me proud. One day I chased the deer, 

And found my enemy crouched low in fear 

Among the fern. I made a spring at him; 
He fled, not fighting, to the river's brim. 
Pale, worn, he was; my hatred quick awoke 
Bat in my heart the voice of Patrick spoke. 

'Forgive, forgive!' I heard the w^hisper run 
All through the reeds. 'Remember Mary's son.' 
I listened not; I drove Conn to his knee; 
His eyes were like a deer's in agony. 



■SELECTIONS. ■2Y7 

My brain was drunk with rage, my blood was fire, 
His death — the death of Conn w^as my desire. 
His eyes were all that spoke; the whispering leaves 
Said, 'Oh, forgive; great Patrick for you grieves.' 

I struck him down, and then looked in his face. 

Christ! O God! how I did lose Thy grace! 

1 saw His face! 'Twas Conn's no more! O sight! 
Wouldst Thou hadst shriveled me, O Lord of light! 

I saw His face, as He is on the cross! 
There he lay prone upon the sodden moss. 
The blood was His, not Conn's, that reddened, all 
The little shallows where the reeds ptcw tall. ' 



And, as the world shall last, the legends say, 
Sweet Ethna's husband moans his life away. 
Among the reeds his sighing all may hear; 
And may it such grace-losing make us fear! 

For Love makes life a glory; Hate is vain, 
Except to wound oar Saviour's heart again. 

Maurice F. Egan. 



Falstaff' s Lantern and Troops. 

Enter Falstaff and Eardolph. 

Falstaff. Bardolph, am I not fallen away vilely since 
this last action? do I not bate? do 1 not dwindle? Why 
I am withered like an old apple-john. Well, I'll repent, 
and that suddenly, while I am in some liking; I shall be 



278 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

out of heart shortly, and then I shall have no strength 
to repent. An I have not forgotten what the inside of 
a church is made of, I am a peppercorn, a brewer's 
horse: the inside of a church! Company, villainous 
company, hath been the spoil of me . 

Bardolph. Sir John, you are so fretful, you cannot 
live long. 

Fal. Why there is it: come, sing me a song; make 
me merry. I was as virtuously given as a gentleman 
need to be: virtuous enough: swore little; diced not 
above seven times a week; paid money that I borrowed 
— three or four times; lived well, and in good compass: 
and now I live out of all order, out of all compass. 

Bard. Why you are so -fat. Sir John, that you must 
needs be out of all compass — out of all reasonable com- 
pass. Sir John. 

Fal. Do thou amend thy face, and I'll amend my life: 
thou art our admiral, thou bearest the lantern in the 
nose of thee: thou art the Knight of the Burning Lamp. 

Bard. Why, Sir John, my face does you no harm. 

Fal. No, I'll be sworn; I make as good upe of it ns 
many a man doth of a death's-head or a memento mori: 
I never see thy face but I think upon hell-fire, and 
Dives that lived in purple; for there he is in his robes, 
burning, burning. If thou wert any way given to vir- 
tue, I would swear by thy face; but thou art altogether 
given over; and wert indeed but for the light in thy 
face, the son of utter darkness, When thou rann'st up 
Gad's-hill in the night to catch my horse, if I did not 
think thou hadst been an ignis fatuus or a ball of wild- 
fire, there's no purchase in money. O, thon art a per- 
petual triumph, an everlasting bonfire-lightl Thou hast 
saved me a thousand marks in links and torches, 



SELECTIONS. 2Y9 

walking with thee in the nio^ht from tavern to tavern: 
but the sack that thou hast drank me would have 
bought me lights as good cheap at the dearest chand- 
ler's in Europe. I have maintain'd that salamander of 
yours with fire any time this two-and thirty years. 
But, Bardolph, you should see my troops. If I be not 
ashamed of my soldiers 1 am a soused gurnet. I have 
misused the king's press terribly. I have ^t, in ex- 
change of a hundred and fifty soldiers, three hundred 
and odd pounds. I press'd me none but good house- 
holders, yeomen's sons; inquired me out bachelors, such 
as had been ask'd twice on the banns; such a commodity 
of warm slaves as had as lief hear the Devil as a dram; 
such as fear the report of a caliver worse than a struck 
fowl or a hurt wiid-duck. I press'd me none but such 
toast-and-butter, with hearts in their bodies no bigger 
than pin's-heads, and they have bought out their servi- 
ces; and now ni}^ whole charge consists of ancients cor- 
porals, lieutenants, gentlemen of companies, slaves as 
ragged as Lazarus in the painted cloth, where the glut- 
ton's dogs lick his sores; and such as, indeed, were 
never soldiers, but discarded unjust servingmen, young- 
er sons to younger brothers, revolted tapsters, and 
ostlers trade- tallen; the cankers of a calm world and a 
long peace; ten times more dishonorable ragged than 
an old-faced ancient: and such have I, to fill up the 
rooms of them that have bought out their services, that 
you would think that I had a hundred and fift}^ tattered 
prodigals late y come from swine-keeping from eating 
daif and husks. A mad fellow met me on the way, and 
told me I had unloaded all the gibbets, and press'd the 
dead bodies. No eye hath seen such scare-crows. I'll 
not march through Coventry with them, that's flat; nay, 



280 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

ai]d the villains march wide betwixt the legs as if they 
had gyves on; for, indeed, I had the most of them out 
of prison. There is but a shirt and a half in all my 
company; and the half shirt is but two napkins tack'd 
together and thrown over the shoulders like a herald's 
coat without sleeves; and the shirt, to say the truth, 
stolen from my host at Saint Alban's, or the red-nose 
innkeeper of Daventry. But that's all one; they'll find 
linen enough on every hedge. 

The First Part of King Henry IV., Act IV, 



The Last of the Narwhale. 



Ay, ay, I'll tell you, shipmates, 
If you care to hear the tale, 
How myself and the royal yard alone 
Were left of the old Narwhale. 



A stouter ship was never launched 

Of all the Clyde-built whalers; 

And forty years of a life at sea 

Haven't matched her crowd of sailors. 

Picked men they were, all young and strong, 

And used to the wildest seas, 

From Donegal and the Scottish coast, 

And the rugged Hebrides. 

Such men as women cling to, mates. 

Like ivy round their lives; 

And the day we sailed the quays were lined 

With weeping mothers and wives. 



SELECTIONS. 581 

They cried and prayed, and we gave 'era a cheer, 
In the thoughtless way o' men; 
God help them, shipmates — thirty years 
They've waited and prayed since then. 

We sailed to the North, and I mind it well; 

The pity we felt, and pride, 

When we sighted the cliffs of Labrador 

From the sea where Hudson died. 

AV"e talked of ships that never came back, 

And when the great floes pass'd ; 

Like ghosts in the night, each moonlit peak 

Like a great war-frigate's mast, 

'Twas said that a ship was frozen up 

In the iceberg's awful breast. 

The clear ice holding the- sailor's face 

As he lay in his mortal rest. 

And I'ye thought since then, when the ship came 

home 
That sailed for the Franklin baud, 
A mistake wa^ made in th e reckoning 
That looked for the crews on land. 
•'They're floating still," I've said to myself, 
"And Sir John has found the goal; 
The Erebus and the terror, mates, 
Are icebergs at the Pole!" 

We sailed due north, to Baffin's Bay, 

And cruised through weeks of light, 

'T v^as always day, and we slept by the hell, 

And longed for the dear old night. 

And the blessed darkness left behind, 

Like a curtain round the bed; 



282 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICALt, 

But a month dragged on like an afteniiun 

With the wheeling sun o'erhead. 

We found the whales were farther still, 

The farther north we sailed; 

Along the Greenland glacier coast, 

The boldest might have quailed, 

Such Shapes did keep us company, 

No sail in all that sea, 

But thick as ships in Mersey's tide 

The bergs moved awfully 

Within the current's northward stream; 

But, ere the long day's close. 

We found the whales and filled the ship 

Amid the friendly floes. 

Then came a rest: the day was blown 

Like a cloud before the night; 

J II the south the sun went redly down — 

In the north rose another light: 

Neither sun nor moon, but a shooting dawn 

Tiiat silvered our lonely way; 

It seemed we sailed in a belt of gloom, 

Upon either side, a day; 

The north wind smote the sea to death; 

The pack-ice closed us round — 

Tiie Narwhale stood in the level lields 

As fast as a ship aground. 

A weary time it was to w\ait^ 

And to wish for spring to come, ^ 

With I he pleasant breeze and the blesseci sun, 

To open the way toward home. 

Spring came at last, the ice-fields groaned 
^ike living things in pain; 



T ; 



SELECTIONS. 2S3 

They moaned and swayed, then r^nt amain, 

And the Narvvhale sailed again. 

With joy the dripping sails were loosed, 

And round the vessel swung; 

To cheer the crew, full south she drew, 

The shattered floes among. 

We had no books in those old days 

To carry the friendly faces; 

But 1 think the wives and the lasses then 

Were held in better places. 

The face of sweetheart and wife to-day - 

Is locked in the sailor's chest, 

But aloft on the yard, with the thought of home. 

The face in the heart was best. 

Well, well — God knows, mates, when and where 

To take the things He gave; 

We steered for home — but the chart was His, 

And the port ahead — the grave! 

We cleared the floes: through an open sea 

The Narwhale south'ard sailed, 

Till a day came round when the white fog rose^ 

And the wind astern had failed. 

In front of thi; Greenland glacier line 

And close to its base were we; 

Through the misty pall we could see the wall 

That beetled above the sea. 

A fear like the fog crept over our hearts, 

As was heard the hollow roar 

Of the deep sea thrashing the cliffs of ice 

For leagues along the shore. 

The years have come, and the vears have gone, 
But it never wears away — 



284: ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

The sense I have of the sights and sounds 

That marked that woful day. 

Flung here and there at the ocean's will, 

As it flung the broken floe — 

What strength had we 'gainst the tiger sea 

Tiiat sports with a sailor's woe? 

The lifeless berg and the lifeful ship 

Were the same to the sullen wave, 

As it swept them far from ridge to ridge, 

Till at last the Narwhale drave 

With a crashing rail on the glacier wall, 

As sheer as the vessel's mast — 

A crashing rail and a shivered yard: 

But the worst, we thought, was past. 

The brave lads sprang to the fending work, 

And the skiper's voice rang hard : 

"Aloft there — one with a ready knife — 

Cut loose the royal yard!*' 

1 sprang to the rigging: young as I was. 

And proud to be first to dare; 

The yard swang free, and I turned to gaze 

Toward the open sea, o'er the field of haze, 

And my heart grew cold, as if frozen through, 

At the moving Shape that met my view — 

Christ! what a sight was there! 

Above the fog, as I hugged the yard, 

1 saw that an iceberg lay — 

A berg like a mountain, closing fast — 

Not a cable's length away! 

I could not see through the sheet of mist 

That covered all below, 

But before the word could come 

It died in his throat, and I knew they saw 



SELECTIONS. 285 

The Shape of the closing Doom! 

No sound but that — but the hail that died 

Came up through the mist to me; 

Thank God, it covered the ship, like a veil, 

And I was not forced to see — 

But I heard it, mates: Oh, 1 heard the rush. 

And the timbers rend and rive, 

As the yard I clung to swayed and felL 

I lay on the ice alive! 

Alive! O Lord of Mercy! ship and crew and sea 

were gone! 
The hummocked ice and the broken yard, 
And a kneeling man — alone! 

A kneeling man on a frozen hill. 

The sounds of life in the air — 

All death and ice — and a minute before ' 

The sea and the ship were there! 

I could not think they were dead and gone. 

And I listened for sound or word: 

But the deep sea roar on the desolate shore 

Was the only sound I heard. 

mates, I had no heart to thank 
The Lord for the life He gave; 

1 spread my arms on the ice and cried 
Aloud on my shipmates' grave. 

The brave, strong lads, with their strength in 

vain, 
I called thei:|.i name by name; 
And it seemed to me from the dying hearts 
A message upward came — 
Ay, mates, a message, up through the ice 



286 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

From every sailor's breast; 

"Go tell our mothers and wives at home 

To i)ray for us here at rest." 

Yes, that's what it means; 'tis a little word; 

But, mates,, the strongest ship 

That ever was built is a baby's toy 

When it comes to an Arctic Nip. 

John Boyle O'Reilly. 



Catholicism and the Religions of the World, 



How different are all religions that ever were, from 
the lofty and unchangeable Catholic Church! They 
depend on time and place for their existence, they live 
in periods or in regions. They are children of the soil, 
indigenous plants, which readily flourish under a cert- 
ain temperature, in a certain aspect, in moist or in dry, 

and die if they are transplanted There is but one 

form of Christianity possessed of that real internal uni- 
ty which is the primary condition of independence. 
Whether ^o\x look to Russia, England, or Germany, 
this note of divinity is wanting. In this country espe- 
cially, there is nothing broader than class religions; the 
established form itself is but the religion of a class. 
There is one persuasion for the rich, and another for 
the poor; men are born in this or that sect; the enthu- 
siastic go here, and the sober-minded and rational go 
there. They make money, and rise in the world, and 
then they profess to belong to the Establishment. This 
body lives in the world's winter, and the other would 
me'.t away in the summer. Not one of them undertakes 
Im.nan nature: none compasses the whole man; none 



SELECTIONS. 28Y 

places all men on a level: none addresses the intellect 
and the heart, fear and love, the active and the coiitoin- 
plative. It is considere*d, and justly, as an evidence for 
Christianity, that the ablest men have been Christians; 
not that all sagacious or profound minds have taken 
up its professions, but that it has gained victories 
among them, such and so m.any, as to show that it is 
not the mere fact of ability or learning which is the 
reason why all are not converted. 

Such too is the characteristic of Catholicity; not the 
highest in rank, not the meanest, not the most refined, 
not the rudest, is beyond the influence of the Church; 
she includes specimens of every class among her child- 
ren. She is the solace of the forlorn, the chastener of 
the prosperous, and the guide of the wayward. She 
keeps a mother's eye for the innocent, bears with a 
heavy hand upon the wanton, and has a voice of majes- 
ty for the proud. She opens the mind of the ignorant, 
and she prostrates the intellect of the most gifted. 
These are not words; she has done it, she does it still, 
she undertakes to do it. All she asks is an open field, 
and the freedom to act. She asks no patronage from 
civil power; in former times and places she has 
asked it; and, as Protestantism also, has availed herself 
of the civil sword. It is true she did so, because in 
certain ages it has been the acknowledged mode of act- 
ing, the must expeditious, and open at the time to no 
objection, and because, where she has done so, the 
people clamoured for it and did it in advance of her; 
but her history shows that she needed it not, for she 
has extended and flourished without it. She is ready 
for any service which occurs; she will take the wor.d as 
it comes; nothing but force can repress her. See, my 



288 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

brethren, what she is doing in this country now; for 
three centuries the civil power has trodden down the 
goodly plant of grace, and kt?pt its foot upon it; at 
length circumstances have removed that tyranny, and 
lo! the fair form of the Ancient Church rises np at 
once, as fresh and as vigorous as if she had . never 
intermitted her growth. She is the same as she was 
three centuries ago, ere the present religions of the 
country existed; 3^ou know her to be the same; it is the 
charge brought against her that she does not change; 
time and place effect her not, because she has her 
source where there is neither time nor place, because 
she comes from the throne of the Illimitable, Eternal 
God. — Newman. 



Wolsey's Advice to Cromwell. 



Wolsey. Farewell, a long farewell, to all my great- 
ness ! 
This is the state of man: To-day he pats forth 
The tender leaves of hope: to morrow blossoms. 
And bears his blushing honours thick upon him; 
The third day comes a frost, a killing frost, 
And — when he thinks, good easy man, fall sarely 
His greatness is a-ripening — nips his root. 
And then he falls, as I do. I have ventured, 
Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders. 
This many summers in a sea of glory; 
But far beyond my depth: my high-blown pride 
At length broke under me; and now has left me, 
Weary and old with service, to the mercy 
Of a rade stream, that nmst forever hide me. 



SELECTIONS. 280 

Yain pomp and glory of this world, I hate ye: 
I feel my heart new open'd. O how wretched 
Is that poor man that hangs on princes' favours! 
There is, betwixt the smile we would aspire to, 
That sweet aspect of princes, and their ruin. 
More pangs and fears than wars or women have; 
And when he falls, he falls like Lucifer, 
Never to hope again. — 

Enter Ceomwell, amazedly. 

Why, how now, Cromwell! 

Crom. I have no power to speak, sir. 

Wol. What, amazed 

At my misfortunes? can thy spirit wonder 
A great man s^hould decline? Nay, and you weep, 
I'm fair n indeed. 

Crom. How does vour Grace? 

Wol. " Why, well; 

Never so truly happy, my good Cromwell. 
I know myself now; and I feel within me 
A peace above all earthly dignities, 
A still and quiet conscience. The king has cured me, 
I humbly thank his Grace, and from these shoulders. 
These ruin'd pillars, out of pity, taken 
A load would sink a navy, too much honour. 
O 'tis a burden, Cromwell, 'tis a burden 
Too heavy for a man that hopes for Heaven ! 

Crom. I'm glad your Grace has made that right use 
of it. 

Wol. I hope I have: I'm able now^, methinks — 
Out of a fortitude of soul I feel — 
T' endure more miseries and greater far 
Than my weak-hearted enemies dare offer. 
What news abroad? 



290 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND l^HYSICAL. 

Crom. The heaviest and the worst 

Is your displeasure with the king. 

Wol. God bless him! 

Crom. The next is, that Sir Thomas More is chosen 
Lord Chancellor in your place. 

Wol That's somewhat sudden: 

But he's a learned man. May he continue 
Long in his Highness' favor, and do justice 
For truth's sake and his couscience? that his bones, 
When he has run his course and sleeps in blessings, 
May have a tomb of orphan's tears wept on 'em! 
What more? 

Crom. That Cranmer is return'd with welcome, 
Installed Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. 

Wol. That's news indeed. 

Crom. Last that the Lady Anne, 

Whom the king hath in secrecy long married, 
This day was view'd in open as his queen, 
Going to chapel, and the voice is now 
Only about her coronation. 

Wol. There was the weight that pull'd me down. 

Cromwell! 

The king has gone bej^ond me: all my glories 

In that one woman I have lost forever: 

No sun shall ever usher forth mine honors, 

Or gikl again the noble troops that waited 

U])on my smiles. Go, get thee from me Cromwell; 

1 am a poor fallen man, unworthy now 
To be thy lord and master; seek thy king; 
That sun, I pray, may never set! I've tokl him 
What, and how true thou art: he will advance thee: 
Some little memory of me will stir him — 

I know his noble nature — not to let 

Thy hopeful service perish too: good Cromwell, 



SELECTIONS. :21)1 

Neglect him not; make use now, and provide 
For thine own future safety. 

Crom. O my lord, 

Must I, then, leave you? must I need« forego 
80 good, so noble, and so true a master? 
Bear witness, all that have not hearts of iron. 
With what a sorrow Cromwell leaves his lord. 
The King shall h;ive my service; but my prayers. 
Forever and forever shall be yours. 

Wol. Cromwell, I did not think to shed a tear 
In all my miseries; but thou hast forced me, 
Out of thy honest truth, to phiy the woman. 
Let's dry our eyes: and thus far hear me, Cromwell; 
And when I am forgotten, as I shall be, 
And sleep in dull cold marble, where no menticm 
Of me more must be heard of — say, I taught thee, 
•Say, Wolsey — that once trod the ways of glory. 
And sounded all the depths and shoals of honours — 
Found thee a way out of his wreck to rise in; 
A sure and safe one; though thy master miss'd it. 
Mark but my fall, and that that ruined me. 
Cromwell, I charge thee, liing away ambition: 
By that sin fell the angels; how can man, then. 
The image of his Maker, hope to win by't? 
Love thyself last; cherish those hearts that hate thco: 
Corruption wins not more than honesty. 
Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace, 
To silence envious tongues. Be ^ust, and fear not: 
Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's, 
Thyljrod's, and truth's: then, if thoufall'st,0 Ci-omwell, 
Thou fall'st a blessed martyr! Serve the king; 
And, — pr'ythee, lead me in: 
There make an inventory of all I have, 
To the last penny: 'tis the king's; my robe. 



292 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

And m}/ iiite^rit}^ to Heaven, is all 

I dare now call my own. O Cromwell, Cromwell! 

Had I but served my God with half the zeal 

I served my kin^, He would not in mine age 

Have left me naked to mine enemies. 

King Henry VIII., Act III. ' 



iEgeon's Speech. 



JEfjeon. A heavier task could not have been impos'd, 
Than I to speak my griefs unspeakable; 
Yet. that the world may witness that my end 
Was brought by fortrme, not by vile offence, 
I'll utter what my sorrow gives me leave. 
In Syracusa was I born; and wed 
Unto a woman, happy but for me, 
And by mo too, had not our hap been bad. 
With her I liv'd in joy: our wealth increas'd, 
By prosperous voyages I often made 
To Kpidammam: till my factor's death, 
And the great care of goods at random left 
Drew me from kind embracements of my spouse: 
From whom my absence was not six months old, 
r)efore herself (almost at fainting under 
The pleasing punishment that women bear) 
Had made provision for her following me. 
And soon and safe arrived where I was. 
There had she not been long, but she became 
A joyful mother of two goodly sons: 
And which was strange, the one so like the the other, 
As could not be distinguished but by names. 
That very hour, and in the self -same inn, 



SELECTIONS. 293 

A poor mean woman was delivered 

Of such a burden, male twins, both alike. 

Those, for their parents were exceeding poor, 

I boQO'ht, and brought up to attend my sons. 

My wife, not meanly proud of two such boys, 

Made daily motions for our home return: 

Unwilling I ao^reed. Alas, too soon we came aboard! 

A league from Epidammum had we saiFd, 

Before the always-wind-obeying deep 

Gave any tragic instance of our harm: 

But longer did we not retain much hope; 

For what obscured light the heavens did grant 

Did but convey unto our fearful minds 

A doubtful warrant of immediate death; 

Which though myself gently would have embrac'd, 

Yet the incessant weepings of my wife. 

Weeping before what she saw must come. 

And piteous plainings of the pretty babes, 

That mourn'd for fashion, ignorant what to fear, 

Forc'd me to seek delays for them and me. 

And this it was, — for other means were none, — 

The sailors sought for safety by our boat. 

And left the ship, then sinking-ripe, to us. 

My wife, more careful for the latter-born. 

Had fastened him unto a small spare mast. 

Such as sea-faring men provide for storms: 

To him one of the other twins was bound, 

AV^hilst 1 had been like heedful of the other. 

The children thus dispos'd, my wife and I, 

Fixing our eyes on whom our care was fix'd, 

Fasten'd ourselves at either end the mast; 

And floating straight, obedient to the stream, 

Were carried towards Corinth, as we thought. 

At length the sun, gazing upon the earth. 



294: ELEMENTS OF EXPKESSION, VOCAL AKD PHYSICAL. 

Dispersed those vapours that offended us, 
And by the the benefit of his wish'd light 
The seas wax'd calm, and we discovered 
Two ships from far making amain to us, 
Of Corinth that, of Epidaurus this: 
But ere they came, — O, let me say no more! 
Gather the sequel by that went before. 

Duke. Nay, forward, old man; do not break off so, 
For we may pity, but not pardon thee. 

^ge. O, had the gods done so, I had not now 
Worthily term'd them merciless to us! 
For, ere the ships could meet by twice five leagues, 
We were encounter'd by a mighty rock, 
Which being violently borne upon. 
Our helpful ship was splitted in the midst; 
So that in this unjust divorce of us 
Fortune had left to both of us alike 
What to delight in, what to sorrow for. 
Her part, poor soul! seeming as burdened 
With lesser weight but not with lesser woe, 
Was carried with more speed before the wind, 
And in our sight they three were taken up 
By fishermen of Corinth as we thought. 
At length another ship had seized on us; 
And knowing whom it was their hap to save. 
Gave healthful welcome to their shipwreck'd guests; 
And would have reft the fishers of their prey. 
Had not their bark been very slow of sail, 
And therefore homeward did they bend their course. — 
Thus have you heard me sever 'd from my bliss; 
And by misfortune was my life prolonged, 
To tell sad stories of my own mishaps. 

The Comedy of Errors. Act I, 



SELECTIONS. 295 

The Four Idiot Brothers. 



Dried, as 'twere, to skeleton chips, 
In the Madhouse found I Four: 
From their white and shrivelled lips 
Cometh languao^e never more. 
Ghastly, stony, stiff, each brother 
Gazes vacant on the other; 

Till the midnight hour be come; 

Bristles then erect their hair, 

And the lips all day so dumb 

Utter slowly to the air, 
' ^Dies irce^ dies ilia, 
Solvet sceclum in favilla .^^ 

Four bold brothers once were these, 
Riotous and reprobate, 
Whose rakehellish revelries 
Terrified the more sedate. 
Ghostly guide and good adviser 
Tried in vain to make them wiser. 

On his deathbed spake their sire — 
''Hear your father from the tomb! 
Rouse not God's eternal ire; 
Ponder well the day of doom, 

''Dies irce, dies ilia, 
Solvet sceclum infavilla.^' 



So spake he and died: The Four 
All unmoved beheld him die. 
Happy he! — his labors o'er. 



296 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL, 

He was ta'en to bliss on high, 
While his sons like very devils 
Loosed from Hell, pursued their revels. 



Still they courted each excess 

Atheism and Vice could dare; 

Iron hearted, feelingless, 

Not a hair of theirs grew grayer. 

"Live" they cried, "while life enables! 

God and devil alike are fables!" 



Once at midnight as the Four 

Kiotously reeled along, 

From an open temple-door 

Streamed a flood of holy song. 

"Cease, ye hounds, your yelling noises!" 

Cried the devil by their voices. 

Tlu'ough the temple vast and dim 
Goes the unhollowed greeting, while 
Still the singers chant their hymn. 
Hark! it echoes down the aisle — 

^^Dies irce, dies ilia, 

Solvet sceclum infavilla.^^ 



On the instant stricken ns 
l)y the wrath of God they stand, 
Ivich dull eyeball tixed like glass, 
]\lute each eye, unnerved each hand, 
lilanch their hair and Avan their features, 
S[)eechless, mindless, idiot creatures! 



SELECTIONS. 29 Y 

And now, dried to the skeleton chips, 
In the Mad-cell sit the four, 
Moveless; — from their blasted lips 
Cometh language never more. 
Ghastly, stony, stiff, each brother 
Gazes vacant on the other; 

Till the midnight hour be come; 
Bristles then erect their hair. 
And their lips, all day so dumb 
Utter slowly to the air, 

^"Dies irce^ dies ilia, 
Solvet sceclum in favilla. " 

J. G. Mangan. 



The Army of the Lord. 



To fight the battle of the Cross, Christ's chosen ones 

are sent, — 
Good soldiers and great victors. — a noble armament. 
They u-e do earthly weapon, they know not spear or 

sword, 
Yet right and true and valiant is the army of the Lord. 

Fear them, ye mighty ones of earth; fear them ye 

demon foes; 
Slay them and think to conquer, but the ranks will 

always close: 
In vain do earth and Hell unite their power and skill to 

try, 
Tliey fight bettei* for their wounds and they conquer 

when they die. 



298 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

The soul of every sinner is the victory they would gain; 

They would bind each rebel heart in their master's gold- 
en chain: 

Faith is the shield they carry, and the two-edged sword 
they bear 

Is God's strongest, mightiest weapon, and they call it 
Love and Prayer. 

A , here the savage hordes are dwelling by the Ganges' 

sacred tide, 
Through the trackless Indian forests, St .Francis is their 

guide; 
Where crime and sin are raging, to conquer they are 

gone;— 
They do conquer as they go, for St. Philip leads them 

on. 

They are come where all are kneeling at the shrines of 

wealth and pride. 
And an old and martyred Bishop is their comrade and 

their guide : 
To tell the toil-worn negro of freedom and repose, 
O'er the vast Atlantic's bosom they are called by sweet 

St. Rose. 

They are gone where Love is frozen, and Faith grown 

calm and cold. 
Where the world is all triumphimt, and the sheep have 

left the fold, 
Where His children scorn His blessings, and His sacred 

Shrines despise, 
And the beacon of the warriors is the light in Mary's 

eyes. 



The bugle for tlieir battle is the matin bell for prayer: 
And for their iioi>le standard Christ's holy cross they 

bear. 
His sacred name their war-cry, 'tis in vain what ye can 

do. 
They must conquer, for yonr Angels are leaguing with 

them too. 

TToald you know, O World, these warriors? Go where 

the poor, the old. 
Ask for pardon and for iieaveii, and you oli'er food and 

gold; 
With healing and with comfort, with words of pe^ace 

and prayer. 
Bearing his greatest gift to man, — Christ's chosen 

priests are there. 

Where sin and crime are dwelling, hid from the light 

of day. 
Aiid life and hope are fading ai ae^iLn ? ookl touch away. 
Where dying eyes in horror see the long forgotten pasT. 
Christ's servants claim the sinner; and gain his soul at 

last. 

Where the rich and proud and mighty God's message 

woidd defy. 
In warning and reproof His anointed ones stand by; 
Bright are the crowns of glory Gtxi keepeth for his 

own. 
Their life one sigh for heaven, and their aim His will 

aloi.e. 

And SA^e sweet Mercy's sister, where the poor and 
wretched dwell. 



300 ELEMENTS OF EXPEESSION, VOCAL AND i^HYSICAL. 

In gentle accents telling of Him she loves so well; 
Training young hearts to serve their Lord, and place 

their hope in Heaven, 
Bidding her erring sisters love much and be forgiven . 

And where in cloistered silence dim the brides of Jesus 

dwell, 
Where purest incense rises up from every lowly cell, 
They plead not vainly, — they have chosen and gained 

the better part, 
And given their gentle life away to Him w^ho has their 

heart . 

And some there are among us — the path which they 

have trod 
Of sin and pain and anguish has led at last to God: 
They plead, and Christ will hear them, that the poor 

slaves who pine 
In the black dungeon they have left, may see His truth 

divine. 

O, who can tell how many hearts are altars to His 

praise. 
From which the silent prayer ascends through patient 

nights and days. 
The sacrifice is offered still in secret and alone, 
O World, ye do not know them, but He can help His 

own . 

They are with us, His true soldiers, they come in power 

and might; 
Glorious the crown which they shall gain after the 

heavenly fight; 



SELECTIONS. 301 

And you, perchance, who scoff, may yet their rest and 

o'lory share, 
As the rich spoil of their battle and the captives of their 

prayer . 

O, who shall tell the wonder of that great day of rest, 
When even in this place of strife His soldiers are so 

blest: 
O World, O Earth, why strive ye? join the low chant 

they sino^, — 
^'O Grave, where is thy victory! O Death where is thy 



sting!" 



Adelaide A. Procter. 



Atonio's Consolers. 



Enter Antonio, Salakino, and Solanio. 

Anto. In sooth, I know not why I am so sad: 
It wearies me, you say it wearies you; 
But how I caught it, found it, or came by it, 
What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born, 
I am to learn; ^ 

And such a want- wit sadness makes of me. 
That I have much ado to know myself. 

Scdar. Your mind is tossing on the ocean; 
Tiiere, where your argosies with portly sail. — 
Like signiors and rich burghers of the flood, 
Or, as it were, the pageant of the sea, — 
Do overpeer the petty traffickers, 
That curtsy to them, do them reverence. 
As they fly by them with their woven wings. 

Solan. Believe me, sir, had I such venture forth, 



o02 ELEMENTS OF EXPEESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL^ 

The better part of my affection would 
Be with my hopes abroad. I should be still 
Plucking the grass, to know where sits the wind. 
Peering in maps for port, and piers, and roads; 
And every object that might make me fear 
Misfortune to my ventures, out of doubt 
Would make me sad. 

Saldr. My wind, cooling my broth,, 

Would blow me an ague, when I thought 
What harm a wind too great might do at sea. 
I should not see the sandy hour-glass run. 
But I should think of shallows and of flats; 
And see my wealthy Andrew dock'd in sand, 
Vailing her high-top lower than her r'')s, 
To kiss her burial . Should I go to church, ■ 
And see the holy edifice of stone, 
And not bethink me straight of dangerous rocks, 
Which, touching but my gentle vessel's side, 
Would scatter all her spices on the stream; 
Enrobe the roaring waters with my silks, 
And, in a word, but even now worth this, 
And now worth nothing? Shall I have the thought 
To think on this, and shall I lack the thought, 
That such a thing bechanced should make me sad? 
But tell not me; I know Antonio 
Is sad to think upon his merchandise. 

Anto. Believe me; no; 1 thank my fortune for it, 
My ventures are not in one bottom trusted. 
Nor to one place; nor is my whole estate 
Upon the fortune of this present year: 
Therefore my merchandise makes me not sad. 

Salar. Why, then you are in love. 

Anto. Fie; fie! 



SELECTIONS. S03 

Salar. Not in love neither? Then let^s say you're 
sad, 
Because you are not nierry ; and 't were as easy 
For you to laugh and leap, and say you're merry 
Ijecause you are not sad. Now, by two-headed Janus, 
Nature hath framed strange fellows in her time: 
Some that will evermore peep through their eyes, 
And laugh like parrots at a bag-piper; 
And others of such vinegar aspect. 
That they'll not show their teeth in way of smile. 
Though Nestor swear the jest be laughable. 

Solan. Here comes Bassanio, your most nobie kins- 
man, 
Gratiano, and Lorenzo. Fare you well: 
We leave you now with better company. 

Salar. I would have stay'd till I had made you 
merry. 
If worthier friends had not prevented me. 

Anto. Your worth is very dear in my regard. 
I take it, your own business calls on you, 
And you embrace th' occasion to depart. 

Enter Bassanio, Lorenzo, and Gratiano. 
Salar. Good morrow, my good lords. 
Bass. Good signiors both, when shall we laugh? 
say, when? 
You grow exceeding strange: must it be so? 

Salar. We'll make our leisures to attend on yours. 

[Lxeuiit Salarino and Solanio. 
Loren. My Lord Bassanio, since you've found An- 
tonio, 
We two will leave you: but at dinner time, 
1 pv'dy you, have in mind where we must meet. 
Bass. 1 will not fail you. 



30J: ELEMEISTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND, PHYSICAL, 

Grat. You look not well, Sigoior Antonio, 
You have too much respect upon the world: 
They lose it that do buy it with much care. 
Believe me, you are marvellously changed. 

Anto. I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano; 
A stage, where every man must play a part. 
And mine a sad one. 

Grat. Let me play the Fool: 

With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come; 
And let my liver rather heat with wine 
Than my heart cool with mortifying groans. 
Why should a man, whose blood is warm within. 
Sit like his grandsire cut in alabaster? 
Sleep when he wakes? and creep into the jaundice 
By being peevish? 1 tell thee what, Antonio, — 
I love thee, and it is my love that speaks, — 
There are a sort of men whose visages 
Do cream and mantle like a standing pond; 
And do a wilful stillness entertain. 
With purpose to be dress'd in an opinion 
Of Wisdom, gravity, profound conceit; 
As who should say, I am Sir Oracle, 
And when I ope my lips, let no dog bark! 
O my Antonio! I do know of these. 
That therefore only are reputed wise 
For saying nothino:; who I'm very sure. 
If they should speak, would almost damn those ears, 
Which, hearing them, would call their brothers fools. 
I'll tell you more of this anijther time: 
But fish not, with this melancholy bait. 
For this fool gudgeon, this opinion. — 
Come, good Lorenzo. — Fare ye well, awhile: 
I'll end my exhortation after dinner. 



SELECTIONS. 305 

Loren. Well. we will leave you, then, till dinner-time. 
I mast be one of these same dumb-wise men, 
For Gratiano never lets me speak. 

Grat. Well, keep me company but two years more, 
Thou shalt not know the sound of thine own tongue. 

Anto. Farewell; I'll grow a talker for this year. 

Grat. Thanks, i' faith; for silence is only commend- 
able. 
In a neat's tongue dried, and a maid not vendible. 
The Merchant of Venice^ Act I. 



Selection from <<The Dream of Gerontius. 



I went to sleep; and now I am refresh'd. 

A strange refreshment; for I feel in me 

An inexpressible lightness, and a sense 

Of freedom, as I were at length myself. 

And ne'er had been before. How still it is! 

I hear no more the busy beat of time, 

Xo, nor my fluttering i)reath, nor struggling pulse; 

Xor does one moment differ from the next. 

1 had a dream: yes; — some one softly said 

'"He's gone; and then a sigh went round the room, 

And then I surel}^ heard a priestly voice 

Cry ''Subvenite;^^ and they knelt in prayer. 

I seem to hear him still; but thin and low. 

And fainter and more faint the accents come. 

As at an ever-widening interval. 

Ah! whence is this? What is this severance? 

This silence pours a solitariness 

Into the very essence of my soul; 

And the deep rest, so soothing and so sweet, 



306 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION. VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Hath something too of sternness and of pain. 

For it drives back my thoughts upon their spring 

By strange introversion, and perforce 

I now begin to feed upon myself , 

Because I have nought else to feed upon. — 

Am I alive or dead? I am not dead, 

Bat in the body still; for I possess 

A sort of confidence, which clings to me, 

That such particular organ holds its place 

As heretofore, combining with the rest 

Into one symmetry, that wraps me round 

And makes me man; and surely I could move, 

Did I but will it, every part of me. 

And yet I cannot to my sense bring home, 

By very trial that I have the power, 

'Tis strange, I cannot stir a hand or foot, 

1 cannat make my linger and my lips 

By mutual pressure witness each to each. 

Nor by the eyelid's instantaneous stroke 

Assure myself I have a body still. 

Nor do I know my very attitude. 

Nor if I stand, or lie, or sit, or kneel. 

So much I know, not knowing how I know, 

That the vast universe, where I have dwelt, 

Is quitting me, or I am quitting it. 

Or I or it is rushing on the wings 

Of light or lightning on an onward course. 

And we e'en now are million miles apart. 

Yet. . . .is this peremptosy severance 

Wrought out in leng:thening measurements of space. 

Which grow and midtiply l)y speed and time^ 

Or am I traversing infinity 

By endless subdivision, hurrying back 



SELECTIONS. 30i 

From finite towards infinitesimal, 
Tiius dying out of the expansive world? 

Another marvel: some one has me fast 
Within his ample palm: 'tis not a grasp 
Such as they use on earth, but all around 
Over the surface of my subtle being, 
As though I were a sphere and capable 
To be accosted thus, a uniform 
And gentle pressure tells me I am not 
Self-moving, but borne on my way. 
And hark! I hear a singing, yet in sooth 
I cannot of that music rightly say 
Whether I hear or touch or taste the tones. 
Oh what a heart subduing melody! 



Newman. 



A Day*s Changes. 



It was a beautiful morning in April; Eugene had risen 
at an early hour, and having mechanically taken a small 
volume from a shelf of his library he, without opening 
it, went out to the balcony in front of his house to gaze 
on the magnificent landscape of the surrounding coun- 
try. What a lovely aurora it was! what a glorious be- 
ginning of a genial day! Away in the far East appears 
the sun in the horizon, and clothing the lessening clouds 
that gently move on in the ether with his golden rays, 
gives them the most charming coloring; on the world he 
sheds the shining day that, burnished, plays on rocks, 
and hills, and towers, and the wandering streams. Earth 
brightens up at his coming, birds salute his approach 
in melodious tunes, the peasant goes to his field with a 
heart light and glad, and sings of happiness and of love. 



308 ELEMENTS OF EXPKESSION, VOCAL ANLf PHYSICAL. 

Engene gazes on the claarniiDg scene with indescribable 
pleasure; his tranquil, happy, peaceful soul, is easily 
touched by scenes so sweet and charming. He enjoys 
excellent health, possesses a large fortune, his family 
affairs are in excellent condition, his friends are never 
more happy than when they are able to give him pleas- 
ure. No violent passion agitates his bosom, his sleep 
during the night was placid and tranquil, and was inter- 
rupted only by the break of day; he is only awaiting 
the hour for resuming the ordinary course of his agree- 
able occupations. 

At last he opens his book; it is a romantic novel. A 
wretched man, whom the world has not understood, is 
disgusted with life; he curses society, curses the human 
race, curses heaven and earth, the present, the past, the 
future; he curses (jrod, he curses himself. Tired of gaz- 
ing on a sun that has for him no pleasant smile, tired of 
a world that gives him only sorrow and anguish, weary 
of a miserable existence that weighs so heavily on his 
spirits and crushes his heart beneath its insupportable 
burden, he has resolved to rid himself of his misery by 
putting an end to his life. See him standing on the 
brink of the fatal precipice! already the sad "farewell"' 
is written in his portfolio; he turns his feverish head, 
his pallid countenance, his blood-shot eyes, his distorted 
features, wildly around; before accomplishing the fatal 
deed, he remains for a moment absorbed in gloomy si- 
lence, meditates on the destinies of man, on the cruel 
injustice of society. "This is exaggerated," impatient- 
ly exclaims Eugene, "there is indeed, much evil in the 
world, but not all that is in the world is evil . Virtue 
is not yet banished from the face of the earth; I myself 
know many persons whom I cold not, without doing 



SELECTIONS. 309 

them gross injustice, set down as wicked. This is in- 
tolerable, it is as false in philosophy as it is disgusting 
in literature." Thus Eugene reasoned in his own mind 
and good naturedly he closed his be ok, banished from 
his mind these unpleasant images, and allowed his soul 
to be once more transported by the contemplation of 
the charming scenery around him. 

Hours pass away; the time for commencino^ .his daily 
labor arrives. At the very outset it seems that the 
curses of the suicide seem to have fallen on Eugene. 

The weather has undergone a change; it will not be 
at all as pleasant a day as the early morning indicated; 
heavy dark clouds appear in the sky and threaten rain. 
Eugene goes to his work; his umbrella is an insufficient 
protection against the rain that pours down in torrents. 
The way that leads to his place of business is iiarrow 
and dirty: a coachman drives along with furious speed. 
Eugene is splashed with mud; he must retrace his steps 
and return home. He is angry; he does not utter the 
horrible blasphemies of the suicide, but the prayer 
which he says for the horses and their driver, will sure- 
ly not do either a considerable amount of good. Life 
is, after all, not quite as pleasant as he fancied in the 
morning; yet it is tolerable. His philosophy darkens 
with the weather. However, the sun has not yet gone 
down in the West. It generally happens that one mis- 
fortune follows in the footsteps of another. Eugene has 
forgotten the first misadventure of the day; his thoughts 
are again set on business, and he goes to the house of a 
friend from whom he expects important conimuntca- 
tioiis regarding a business transaction. Here he is re- 
ceived coolly; the friend tries to evade all conversation 
on the chief points in question; pressing aftairs, he 



310 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

pretends, will not allow him time to talk over the mat- 
ter just now. 

Euo^ene takes leave, somewhat displeased at the turn 
the affair has taken; vague suspicions arise in his mind, 
he tortures his brains in order to discover what it all 
can mean, when suddenly he meets another friend, who 
is able and willing to clear up the mystery. Be on your 
guard, Eugene, says the friend, in very few Words; be 
on 3^0 ar guard, or you will fall a victim to the infamous 
perfidy to Mr. N. He thinks at once of the steps to be 
taken to prevent the impending misfortune. He goes to 
different friends to obtain information about the state of 
affairs. All sympathize with him in his misfortune, but 
all agree that it is now beyond remedy. All he can do, 
is to be resigned to his fate. Eugene returns to his 
home, retires into his private apartment and allows 
himself to be transported by the cruel pain of seeing his 
fairest hopes frustrated, his social position desperately 
changed, and all his brilliant prospects for the future 
inseparably ruined. On the table lies the volume he 
had read in the morning. The sight of it recalls to his 
mind the reflections he had made in reading it. Oh! 
how miserably deceived you were, he exclaims, when 
you imagined that the infernal description contained in 
that book were mere exaggerations ! It cannot be de- 
nied that th;it man was right. It is horrible, desperate, 
unpardonable, yet it is true. Man is a depraved mon- 
ster, society a cruel stepmother, a heartless executioner, 
Avho takes pleasure in insulting and tormenting his 
wretched victims, and scorns them at the very moment 
that he covers them with ionominy and shame, to which 
death itself would be preferable. There is no fidelity 
in friendship, no gratitude, no generosity no true virtue 



SELECTIONS. 311 

on earth; all is egotism, self-interest, falsehood, treach- 
ery! Eugene was disturbed in his monologue by a 
gentleman who, relj^ing on his title of friendship, took 
the liberty of entering his apartment without the for- 
mality of being announced. 

''Good day, my dear Eugene; I hear that you have 
been badly imposed on.'' 

''Well, what can be done? 

"It is really too bad!"' 

"Yes, but so goes the world " « 

"But there is no time to be lost, we must remedy the 
misfortune " 

"Remedy? it is impossible!" 

' 'The remedy is very simple " 

"I am surprized at your way of talking." 

"All depends on ready money, your taking the first 
mail-couch and arriving at D. before he will arrive 
there." 

''Yes, but that is impossible in my present circum- 
stances; the scoundrel knows that I have spent all my 
ready money in that accursed transaction; he knows 
that 1 have none whatever at my disposal now; he 
knows how utterly impossible it would be for me to 
overtake him.'' 

"But suppose that the money was ready for you." 

''Let us not joke about the matter." 

"Listen, my dear Eugene. A few friends and my- 
self met together to discuss that affair, which you know. 
One of the company related the serious misfortune that 
had befallen you, and the disastrous consequences it 
must entail on your family . You can easily imagine what 
an impression the unpleasant news made on us. I re- 
quested leave of my friends to sever my connections 



312 ELEMENTS -OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

with that project, that I might be free to place my own 
resources at your disposal. All instantly followed my 
example, declared their readiness to run the risk of 
postponing their operations till you come out triumph- 
antly from this difficulty." 

"I cannot agree to it." 

"But you must." 

"But if these gentlemen, whom I do not even 
kijow. ..." 

"This was all foreseen. Get ready, take the first 
stage. In this portfolio you will find the money you 
need. Farewell, my dear Eugene." 

The portfolio was placed on the table, beside the fa- 
tal book. Eugene is ashamed of having so hastily 
hurled his anathemas at society. The hour for the de- 
parture of the stage leaves him no time to philosophize, 
but he feels that his philosophy has assumed a less des- 
perate aspect. On the following morning the sun will 
arise more gloriously than to-day; the birds will sing as 
merrily as ever; the peasant will go forth to his work, 
and Eugene will see things as he saw them before his 
unpleasant adventures. Within twenty-four hours, 
nothing has changed in nature or society, but the philo- 
sophy of Eugene has traversed an immense 'space, 
returning, like the planet, to the point from which it 
had started. — :Rev. J. Balmes. 



The Drunkard's Death. 

I stood beside the death-bed of a man 

Whom drink had slain; 
And saw a soul depart as I'd ne'er wish 



SELECTIONS. 313 

To see again. 
In throes of agony, a human blight, 

In sense, a clod, 
Struggled with death, a sick'ning, awful sight: 

Then went to God. 
It pained my heart to see the stark bare room, 

And rotten floor 

Gaping with greasy rat holes, dark and foul, 

And hingeless door. 
The tireless hearth with dreary cinders strewn. 

Blank, cold and dead; 
The heap of filthy straw and stinking rags 

That made the bed; 
Old bottles, battered tins and broken ware, 

The cupboard had; 
Empty of food, it bore a thin, starved look, 

Hungry and sad; 
The crazy windows rattling with the wind. 

And shattered wall: 
Within, without, all things with dirt begrimed— 

Dirt over all. 

But when I saw the man unhinged of sense, 

A shattered wreck: 
His darkened, sin-grimed soul departing hence; 

1 could not check 
The rising tear that glimmered in my eye, 

Nor hush the thought. 
That here was one Avho better to this world 

Had ne'er been brought. 
His heated brain with wild delirium raved; 

His blood-shot eyes 



314 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Glared like a hunted beast's, while from his mouth 

Came savaofe cries. 
''Away!" he shrieked; n ith frantic look, "away!" 

Ye tiends from hell! 
Let go my throat. Begone! Don't strangle me, — 

Hark! there's a bell! 
It rings! rings: rings for Mass. I never go; 

Leave me to sleep! 
To sleep! I cannot sleep in flames like these 

That o'er me creep. 
I'm all on fire. It scorches me to death. 

Bring water here! 
Bring floods, and drown me in their cooling depths! 

Yon devils jeer 
And gibe upon me with a mock laugh 

And gnashing teeth; 
Take off this net. These cords around my throat 

Won't let me breathe. 
No! No! have mercy! Do not chain me yet. 

I crave an hour, 
A minute to be free! What have I done, 

That worms devour 
My flesh and heart and brain? These scalding 
showers 

Burn me to death. 
These parching winds, these endless desert sands 

Dry up my breath! 
One drop of water for my burnino^ tongue! 

With thirst I sink. 
Sweet water! heavenly streams! flow not so fast, 

1 cannot drink. 

What spirit damned from out the shades of hell 



SELECTIONS. 315 

Is lurkino^ here? 
Ha! ha! T know you well. 'Tis you who sold 

Me gin and beer. 
Dost want my soul? Was't not enough to take 

My very life? 
And help me starve my children — break the heart 

Of my poor wife? 
YoQ are the man who on my ruin fed; 

As vampire bat 
That gluts itself on blood, so you on me 

Grew rich and fat. 
Help! help! I cannot breathe this stifling air, 

These hellish fumes; 
This biting adder gnaws my life away 

And soul consumes!" 



The midnight moon was shining in the sky, 

Cold, clear, and pale; 
The winds, without, like ghosts in pain, moaned 
forth 

A long, weird wail. 
A passing cloud a heavy shadow cast 

Upon the bed. 
He struggled, grasped the air, then upright stood; 

And fell back, dead! 
Rev. Alfred Young ^ C. S. P. 



Scene from <<The Merchant of Venice. 

Entei' SoLANio and ISalakino, 
Solan. Now, what news on the Rialto? 



316 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Solar. Why, yet it lives there iincheck'd, that Anto- 
nio hath a ship of rich lading wreck'd on the narrow 
seas; the Goodvvins, I think they call the place; a very 
dangerous flat and fatal, where the carcas&es of many a 
tall ship lie buried, as they say, if my gossip Report be 
an honest woman of her word. 

Solan. I would she were as lying a gossp in that as 
ever knapp'd ginger, or made her neighbors believe 
she wept for the death of a third husband. But it is 
true, without any slips of prolixity, or crossing the 
plain highway of talk, that the good Antonio, the hon- 
est Antonio, — O, that I had a title good enough to keep 
his name company! — 

Salar. Come, the full stop. 

Solan. Ha, — what say'st thou? — Why the end is, he 
hath lost a ship . 

Salar. I would it might prove the end of his losses. 

Solan. Let me say amen betimes, lest the Devil cross 
my prayer; for here he comes in the likeness of a Jew. 

Enter SuYiuOCK. 

How now. Shy lock! what news among the merch- 
ants? 

Shy. You knew, none so well, none so well as you 
of my daughter's flight. 

Salar. That's certain: I, for my part, knew the 
tailor that made the wings she flew withal. 

Solan. And Shylock, for his own part, knew the 
bird was fledg'd; and then it is the complexion of them 
all to leave the dam. 

Shy. She is damn'd for it. 

Salar. That's certain, if the Devil may be her judge. 

Shy. In Antonio I have another bad match; a bank- 



SELECTIONS. ^17 

nipt, a prodio^al, who dare scarce show his head on the 
Rialto; — a beggar, ttat was used to come so snug upon 
the mart. Let him look to his bond; he was wont to 
call me usurer; — let him k)ok to his hoi;d; he was wont 
to lend money for a Christian courtesy; — let him look 
to his bond. 

Salar. Why, I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not 
take his f.esh: what's that good for? 

Shy. To l)ait tish withal: if it will feed nothing else, 
it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me, and 
hinder'd me half a million; laugh'd at my losses, mock'd 
at my gains, scorned my nat on, thwarted my bargains, 
cooled my friends, heated mine enemies; and what's 
his reason? I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not 
a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, 
passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same 
weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the 
same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter 
and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we 
not bleed? if yoa tickle us, do we not laugh? if you 
poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we 
not revenge? if we are like you in the rest, we will re- 
semble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what 
is his humility? revenge: if a Christian wrong a Jew, 
what should his sufferance be by Christian example? 
why, revenge The villain}^ you teach me, 1 will exe- 
cute, and it shall go hard, but I will better the instruc- 
tion . — Shakespeare. 



Scene from King Henry VI., Thwd Part.t 



Enter Rutland, and his Tutor. 
But. Ah! whither shall I fly to 'scape their hands? 



318 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Ah tutor! look, where bloody Clifford comes. 
Enter Clifford and Soldiers. 

Clif. Chaplain, away: thy priesthood saves thy life. 
As for the brat of this accursed duke, 
Whose father slew my father, he shall die. 

Tut. And I, ray lord, will bear him company. 

Clif. Soldiers, away with him. 

Tut. Ah, Clifford! murder not this innocent child. 
Lest thou be hated both of God and man. 

Exit^ forced off by soldiers. 

Clif. How now! is he dead already? Or, is it fear, 
That makes him close his eyes? — I'll open them. 

Hut. So looks the pent up lion o'er the wretch 
That trembles under his devouring paws: 
And so he walks, insulting o'er his prey. 
And so he comes to rend his limbs asunder. — 
Ah, orentle Clifford! kill me with the sword, 
And not with such a cruel threatening look. 
Sweet Clifford! hear me speak before I die: 
I am too mean a subject for thy wrath; 
Be thou reveng'd on men, and let me live. 

Clif In vain thou speak'st, poor boy; my father's 
blood . 
Hath stopp'd the passage where thy words should enter. 

But. Then let my father's blood open it again: 
He is a man, and, Clifford, cope with him. 

Clif Had I thy brethern here, their lives, and thine, 
Were not revenge sufficient for me. 
No: if I digg'd up thy forefathers' graves, 
And hung their rotten coffins up in chains. 
It could not slake mine ire, nor ease mine heart. 
The sight of any of the house of York 
Is as a fury to torment my soul; 



SELECTIONS. 319 

And till I root out their accursed line, 
And leave not one alive, I live in hell. 
Therefore — 

Rut. O. let me pray before I take my death . — 
To thee I pray: sweet Clifford, pity me! 

CUf. Such pit}' as my rapier's point affords. 

'Rut. I never did thee harm: why wilt thou slay me? 

CUf. Thy father hath. 

Rut. But 't was ere I was born. 

Thou hast one son, for his sake pity me, 
Lest, in revenge thereof since God is just, 
He be as miserably slain as I. 
Ah! let me live in prison all m}^ days, 
And when I ofive occasion of offence, 
Then let me die. for now thou hast no cause? 

CUf. No cause i 
Thy father slew my father: therefore, die. 

[Cliffokd stabs Mm. 

Rut. DUfaciant. lauclis summa sit ista tuae! \_Dies. 

CUf. Plantaganet! I come. Plantaganet! 
And this thy son's blood cleaving to my blade, 
Shall rust upon my weapon, tiil thy blood 
Congealed with this do make me wipe off" both. 

SJiakespeare. 



Twenty Golden Years Ago. 



O. the rain, the weary, dreary rain. 
How it plashes on the Avindow-sill! 
Night, I guess too, must be on the wane, 
Strass and Gass around are grown still. 
Here I sit, w^ith coffee in my cup — 
Ah! 't was rarely I beheld it flow 



320 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL, 

In the tavern where I loved to sup 
Twenty golden years ago. 

Twenty years ago, alas! — but stay — 
On my life, 'tis half-past twelve o' clock! 
After all the hours do slip away — 
Come, here goes to burn another block! 
For the night, or morn, is wet and cold: 
And my fire is dwindling rather low: — 
I had fire enough, when young and bold 
Twenty golden years ago. 

Dear! I don't feel w^ellat all, somehow: 
Few in Weimar dream how bad I am; 
Floods of tears grow common with me now, 
PIigh-Dutch floods, that Reason cannot dam. 
Doctors think I'll neither live nor thrive 
If I mope at home so — I don't know — 
Am I living noivF I tvas alive 
Twenty golden years ago. 

Wifeless, friendless, flaggonless, alone, 
Not quite bookless, though, unless I choose, 
Left with nought to do, except to groan, 
Not a soul to woo, except the muse — 
O! this is hard for me to bear, 
Me, who whilom lived so much en haut, 
Me, who broke all hearts like china-ware, 
Twenty golden years ago! 

Perhaps 'tis l)etter; — time's defacing waves. 
Long have quenched the radiance of my brow — 
They who curse me nightly from tneir graves, 
Scarce could love me were they living now; 



SELECTIONS. 321 

But my loneliness hath darker ills — 

Such dun duns as Conscience, Thoup^ht, and Co., 

Awful Gorgons! worse than tailor's bills 

Twenty golden years ago! 

Did I paint a fifth of what I feel, 

how plaintive you would ween I was! 
But I won't, albeit I have a deal 
More to wail about than Kerner has!, 
Kerner's tears are wept for withered flowers. 
Mine for withered hopes, my scroll of woe 
Dates, alas! from youth's deserted bowers, 
Twenty golden years ago! 

Yet, may Deutschland's bardlings flourish ^ong, 
Me, I tweak no beak among them; — hawks 
Must not pounce on hawks; J)eside8, in song 

1 could once beat all of them by chalks. 
Though you find me as I near my goal, 
Sentementalizing like Rousseau, 

O! 1 had a grand Byronian soul 
Twenty golden years ago! 

Tick — tick, tick — tick! — not a sound save Time's, 
And the windgust as it drives the rain — 
Tortured torturer of reluctant rhymes, 
Go to bed, and rest thy aching brain ! 
Sleep! — no more the dupe of hope or schemes; 
Soon thou sleepest where the thistles blow- 
Curious anticlimax to thy dreams 
Twenty golden years ago! 

J.. G. Mangan. 



322 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION. VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Called and Chosen.* 



Still runs the river past the broken wall 

Where Claude and I were wont to sit of old, 

Watching the limped water slide and fall 
Over the dam, — a sheet of molten gold: 

What time the clouds, like fairies gayly dressed, 

Built up their glorious castle in the west; 

Our sketch-books idly open on our knees; 

The smell of wall -flowers filling all the air; 
'Twas dreamy joy to watch whole argosies 

Of gorgeous dragon -flies make shipwreck there; 
And bees go diving with their foolish heads 

Into intoxicating lily-beds. 

"Sweet idleness!" said Claude; and then he drew 

His smiling lips into a graver line, 
And looked out with his earnest eyes of blue 

To where the rosy river ran like wine: 
"O purple-dragon flies! O golden bees! 
To you belongs this life of summer ease, — 

But not to me" — and then his face grew broad 
With purest purpose, and his eyes gave out 

Great placid rays, as if the stars of God 
Within their azure heaven wheeled about; 

"Except a man deny himself," he said; 

And then broke ofi' and drooped his classic head. 

Again: "The kingdom suffers violence. 

And naught save violence shall win the prize. 



*H. L. Kilner&Co., Publishers, Philadelphia. 



SELECTIONS. 323 

Dost comprehend, dear heart, the mystic sense?" 

I shivered as with cold, and hid mine eyes: 
And all the g-lorions skies and orlowing stream, 
Swept into shadow, like a broken dream. 

That was live years as^o. To-day, beside 

Tlie ruined wall. I sit alone and study 
The same rich sunset clouds, the same swift tide, 

Glassing the mill-dam with its ripples ruddy; 
But on my lap, Hwixt folded hands, there lies 
An open letter, traced 'neath foreign skies. 

Dominican and priest, where Lacordaire's 

First white-robed friars preached and prayed and 
read, 

He that was Claude, now Father Saint Pierre, 
Speaks from the page as from the dead: 

And, joyous as a lover at the tryst, 

Sighs ardently to shed his blood for Christ. 

O happy Claude I O happier Saint Pierre! 

O happiest of all the souls that take 
The cross of self denial up, and bear 

It bravely to the end for Christ's sweet sake! 
Sail on, gay dragon flies! hum on, bright bees! 
We envy not your life of honeyed ease. 

Eleanor C. Donnelly. 



The Condition of Ireland. 



The war of centuries is" at a close. The patronao-e 



^524 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

and propositions of Ebriiigton have failed. The pro- 
crastination and economy of Russell have triumphed. 
Let a thanksgiving be proclaimed from the pulpit of 
St. Paul's. Let the Lords and Commons of England 
vote their gratitude to the vicious and victorious econ- 
omist! Let the guns of London Tower proclaim the tri- 
umph which has cost, in the past, coffers of gold and 
torrents of blood, and, in this year masses of putrefac- 
tion to achieve. England! your great difficulty is at an 
end; your gallant and impetuous enemy is dead. Ire- 
land, or rather the remains of Ireland are yours at last. 
Your red ensign floats, not from the Custom Hou.-e, 
where you played the robber; not from Limerick wall, 
where you played the cut throat; but it flies from a 
thousand graveyards, where the titled niggards of your 
cabinet have won the battle which your soidiers could 
not terminate. Go; send your scourge steamer to the 
western coast to convey some memorial of your con- 
quest; and in the halls where the flags and cannon you 
have captured from a world of foes are grouped togeth- 
er, there let a shroud, stripped from some privileged 
corpse, be for its proper price displayed. Stop not 
there; change your war crest; America has her eagle; 
let England have her vulture. What emblem more tit 
for the rapacious power whose statesmanship depopu- 
lates, and whose commerce is gorged with famine prices? 
That is her proper signal. But Avhatever the monarch 
journalists of Europe may say, Ireland, thank God, is 
not down yet. 

She is on her knee; but her hand is clinched against 
the giant, and she has yet power to strike. 

Last year from the Carpathian heights, we heard the 
cry of the Polish insurrectionists: "There is hope for 



SELECTIONS. 325 

Poland, while in Poland there is a life to lose." True it 
is, thousands upon thousands of our comrades have 
fallen: but thousands upon thousands still survive: and 
the fate of the dead shall quiciven the purposes of the 
living. The stakes are too high for us to throw up the 
hand until the last card has been phiyed; too high for 
us to throw ourselves in despair upon the coffins of our 
starved and swindled partners, A peasant population, 
generous and heroic, a mechanic population, honest and 
industrious, is at stake. 

They cannot, must not, be lost. — T. F. Meagher. 



Gualberts's Victory.* 



A mountain pass so narrow that a man 
Riding that way to Florence, stooping, can 
Touch with his hand the rocks on either side, 
And pluck the flowers that in the crannies hide. 

Here, on Good Friday, centuries ago, 
Mounted and armed, John Gualbert met his foe: 
Mounted and armed as well, but riding down 
To the fair city from the woodland brown, 
This way and that, swinging his jeweled whip, 
A gay old love-song on his careless lip, 
And on his charger's neck the reins loose thrown. 
An accidental meeting; but the sun 
Burned on their brows, as if it had been one 
Of deep design, — so deadly was the look 
Of mutual hate their olive faces took; 
As (knightly courtesy forgot in wrath), 
Neither would yield his enemy the path. 

"Back I" cried Gualberto. "Never!" yelled his foe. 



*H. L. Kilner & Co., Publishers, Philarlolpnia. 



326 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

And on the instant, sword in hand, they throw 
Them from their saddles, nothing loath, 
And fall to fighting, with a smothered oath. 

A pair of shapely, stalwart cavaliers, 
Well matched in stature, weapons, weight, and years. 

Theirs w^as a long, fierce struggle on the grass. 
Thrusting and parrying up and down the pass; 
Swaying from left to right, in combat clenched, 
Till all the housings of their steeds w^ere drenched 
With brutal gore: and ugly blood-drops oozed 
Upon tlie rocks, from head and hand contused. 
But at the close, when Gualbert stopped to rest, 
His heel was planted on his foeman's l)reast; 
And looking up, the fallen courtier sees. 
As in a dream, gray rocks and waving trees 
Before his glazing vision faintly float. 
While Gualbert's sabre glitters at his throat. 

"Now die, base vvretch!" the victor fiercely cries, 

His heart of hate oatflashing from his ejes: 

"Never again, by the all-righteous Lord! 

JShalt thou, with life, escape this trusty sword, — 

Kevenge is sweet!" And upward glanced the stce'.. 

But ere it fell, — dear Lord! a silvery peal 

Of voices chanting in the town below, 

Grave, ghostly voices chanting tm: below, 

Kose, like a fountain's from spires of snow. 

And chimed and chimed to die in echoes slow. 

In the sweet silence following the sound, 
Gualberto and the man upon the ground 
Glared at each other with bewildered eyes 



SELECTIONS. 327 

(The glare of hunted deer on leashed hound) ; 

And then the vanquished, strugglino- to arise, 

Made one last effort, while his face grew dark 

With pleading agony: ''Guaiberto! hark! 

The chanl — the hour — thou know'st the olden fashion, — 

The monks below intone our Lord's Passion. 

Oh! by this cross!" — and here he caught the hilt 

Of Gualbert's sword, — and by the Blood once spilt 

Upon it for us both long years ago, 

Forgive — forgive — and spare a fallen foe!" 



The face that bent above grew white and set 

(Christ or the Demon? — in the balance hung): — 

The lips were drawn, — the brow bedewed with sweat, — 

But on the srrass the harmless sw^ord was tiunof: 

And stooping down the hero, generous w^rung 

The outstreached hand. Then, lest he lose control 

Of the but half-tamed passions of his soul, 

Fled up the pathway, tearing casque and coat 

To ease the tempest throbbing at his throat; 

Fled up the crags, as if a fiend pursued. 

And paused not till he reached a chapel rude. 



There in the cool, dim stillness, on his knees. 

Trembling, he flings himself, and, startled, sees 

Set in the rock a crucifix antique, 

From which the wounded Christ bends down to speak: 

'''Thou hast done ivell, Gualberto. For My sake 

Thou didst forgive thine enemy; noto take 

My graciaus pardon for thy times of sm, 

And from this day a better life begin.''^ 



828 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

White flashed the angels' wingy above his head, 

Rare, subtile perfumes through the place were shed; 

And golden harps and sweetest voices poured 

Their glorious hosannas to the Lord, 

Who in that hour, and in that chapel quaint, 

Changed by His power, by His dear love's constraint 

Gualbert the sinner into John the saint. 

Eleanor G. Donnelly. 



Peter Rugg the Boston ian. 



I 

The mare is pawing by the oak. 
The chaise is cool and wide 
For Peter Rugg the Bostonian 
With his little son beside; 
The women loiter at the wheels 
In the pleasant summer-tide. 

"And when wilt thou be home. Father?" 

"And when, good husband, say: 

The cloud hangs heavy on the house 

What time thou art away." 

He answers straight, he answers short, 

"At noon of the seventh day." 

"Fail not to come, if God so will. 
And the weather be kind and clear." 
"Farewell, farewell! But who am 1 
A blockhead rain to fear^ 
God willing or God unwilling, 
1 have said it, I will be here." 



SELECTIONS. 329 

He gathers up the suii1)urnt boy 

And from the gate is sped; 

He shakes the sparks from the stones below, 

The bloom from overhead. 

Till the last roofs of his own town 

Pass in the morning-red. 

Upon a homely mission 

[North unto York he goes, 

Through the long highway broidered thick 

With elder-blow and rose; 

And sleeps in sound of breakers 

At every twilight's close. 

Intense upon his heedless head 

Frowns Agamenticus, 

Knowing of Heaven's challenger 

The answer: even thus 

The Patience that is hid on high 

Doth stoop to master us. * 

II 

Full light are all his parting dreams; 

Desire is in his brain; 

He tightens at the tavern-post 

The fiery creature's rein : 

''Now eat thine apple, six years' child! 

We face for home again." 

They had not gone a many mile 
With nimble heart and tongue, 
When the lone thrush grew silent 



330 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION. VOCAL AND THYSICAL. 

The walnut woods amono^; 
And on the lulled horizon 
A premonition hung. 

The babes at Hampton schoolhouse, 
The wife with lads at sea, 
vSearch with a level-lifted hand 
The distance bodingly; 
And l.i'mer folk bid pilo^rims in 
Under a safe roof-tree. 

The mowers mark b}^ Newbury 

How low the swallows fly, 

They o-Iance across the southern roads 

All white Liud fever-dry, 

And the river, anxious at the bend, 

Beneath a thinking sky. 

But there is one abroad was born 

To disbelieve and dare: 

Along the highway furiously 

He cuts the purple air. 

The wind leaps on the startled world 

As hounds upon a hare; 

"Witli^rawl and glare and shudder ope 

The sluices of the storm; 

The woods break down, the sand apblows 

In blinding volleys warm; 

The floods in frantic surge 

Familiar fields deform. 

Prom evening unti] morning 
His skill will not avail, 



SELECTIONS. 

And as he cheers his yonnirest Imrn, 
His cheek is spectre-pa.c 
For the boniiie mare from coaibete iviiovvii 
Has drifted like a sail! 

HI 

On some wild crag he sees the dawn 

Unsheathe her scimitar. 

''Oh, if it be my mother-earth, 

And not a foreign star, 

lell me the way to Boston, 

And is it near or far? " 

One watchman lifts his lamp and laughs; 
' 'Ye' ve many a league to wend." 
The next doth bless the sleeping boy 
From his mad father's end; 
A third upon the drawbridge growls: 
"Bear ye to larboard, friend." 

Forward and backward like a stone 
The tides have in their hold, 
He dashes east, and then distraught 
Darts west as he is told, 
(Peter Rugg the Bostonian, 
That knew the land of old!) 

And journeying, and resting scarce 

A melancholy space. 

Turns to and fro, and round and round. 

The frenzy in his face, . 

And ends always in angrier mood, 

And in a stranger place, 



332 ELEMEKTS OF EXTKESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

f- 

Lost! lo.st ill hay berry thickets 
Where Plymouth plovers run, 
And where the masts of Salem 
Look lordly in the sun; 
Lost in the Concord vale, and lost 
By rocky Wollaston! 

Small thanks hr.ve they that guide him, 
Awed and aware of blight; 
To hear him shriek denial 
It sickeDs them with fright; 
''They lied to me a month ago 
With thy same lie to-night!" 

To-night, to-night, as nights succeed. 

He swears at home to bide, 

Until, pursued with laughter 

Or fled as soon as spied, 

The weather- drenched man is known 

Over the country side! 

IV 

The* seventh noon's a memory, 

And autumn's closing in; 

The quince is fragrant on the uough, 

And barley chokes the bin. 

''O Boston, Boston, Boston! 

And O ray kith and kin!" 

•The snow climbs o'er the pasture wall, 
It crackles 'neath the moon; 
, And now the rustic sows the seed^ . , 



SELECTIONS. 333 



Damp in his heavy shoon; 

And now the building- jays are leu; 

In canopies of June. 

For season after season 

The three are whirled along, 

Misled by every instinct 

Of light, or scent, or song; 

Yea, put them on the surest trail, 

The trail is in the wrong:. 



Upon those wheels in any path 

The rain will follow loud, 

And he who meets that ghostly man 

Will meet a thunder cloud. 

And whosoever speaks with him 

May next bespeak his shroud. 

Tho' nigh two hundred years have gone, 

Doth Peter Rugg the more 

A gentle answer and a true 

Of living lips implore: 

"O show me to my own town, 

And to my open door!" 

Where shall he see his own town 

Once dear unto his feet? 

The psalms, the tankard to the King, 

The beacon's cliffy seat, 

The gabled neighborhood, the stocks 

Set in the middle street? 



VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

How shall he know his own town 

If now he clatters thro'? 

Much men and cities change that have 

Another love to woo; 

And things occult, incredible^ 

They find to think and do . 

With such new wonders since he went 
A broader gossip copes, 
Across the crowded tripple hills, 
And up the harbor slopes, 
Tradition's self for him no more 
Remembers, watches, hopes. 

But ye, O unborn children! 
(For many a race must thrive 
And drip away like icicles 
Ere Peter Rugg arrive,) 
If of a sudden to your ears 
His plaint is blown alive; 

If nigh the city, folding in 
A little lad that cries, 
A wet and weary traveller 
Shall fix you with his eyes, 
And from the crazy carriaoe lean 
To spend his heart in sighs: — 

"That I may enter Boston 

Oh, help it to befall! 

There would no fear encompass me, 



SELECTIONS. S3 

No evil craft apall; 

Ah, but to be in Boston, 

God Willing, 2iitQX 'aWV— 

Ye children, tremble not, but go 

And lift his bridle brave 

In the one Name, the dread Name, 

That doth forgive and save, 

And lead him home to Gopp's Hill ground, 

And to his fathers' s^rave. 

Louise Imogen Guiney. 



Jessie Cameron. 



^'Jessie, Jessie Cameron, 

Hear me but this once," quoth he, 
''Good luck go with you, neighbor's son, 

But I am no mate for you," quoth she. 
Day was verging toward the night 

There beside the moaning sea. 
Dimness overtook the light 

There where the breakers be. 
^'O Jessie, Jessie Cameron, 

I have loved you long and true." — 
"Good luck go with your neighbor's son, 

But I'm no mate for you." 

She was a careless, fearless girl, 

And made her answer plain; 
Outspoken she to earl or churl. 

Kind-hearted in the main, 



386 p:lements of expression, vocal and physical. 

But somewhat heedless with her tongue, 

And apt at causing pain; 
A mirthful maiden she and young, 

Most fail* for bliss or bane. 
"O, long ago I told you so, 

I tell you so to-day: 
Go you your way, and let me go 

Just my own free way. ' ' 

The sea swept in with moan and foam 

Quickening the stretch of sand; 
They stood almost in sight of home; 

He strove to take h er hand. 
"O, can't you take your answer then, 

And won't you understand? 
For me you^re not the man of men, 

I've other plan^ are planned. 
You're good for Madge, or good for Cis, 

Or good for Kate, may be: 
But what's to me the good of this 

While you're not good for me?" 

They stood together on the beach; 

They two alone. 
And louder waxed his urgent speech, 

His patience almost gone: 
"O, say but one kind w^ord to me, 

Jessie, Jessie Cameron." — 
"I'd be too proud to beg," quoth she, 

And pride was in her tone. 
And pride was in her lifted head, 

And in her angry e3^e. 
And in her foot, which might have fled. 

But would not fly. 



SELECTIONS 

Some say that he had gypsy blood, 

That in his heart was guile: 
Yet he had gone through fire and flood 

Only to win her smile. 
Some say his grandam was a witch, 

A black witch from the Nile, 
Who kept an image in a niche 

And talked with it the while. 
And by her hut far down the lane 

Some say they would not pass at night, 
Lest they should hear an unked strain 

Or see an unked sight. 

Alas, for Jessie Cameron! — 

The sea crept moaning, moaning nigher: 
She should have hastened to be gone, — 

The sea swept higher, breaking by her: 
She should have hastened to her home 

While yet the west was flushed with fire. 
But now her feet are in the foam, 

The sea-foam, sweeping higher. 
O mother, linger at your door. 

And light your lamp to make it plain; 
But Jessie she comes home no more, 

No more again. 

They stood together on the strand. 

They only, each by each; 
Home, her home, was close at hand, 

Utterly out of reach. 
Her mother in the chimney nook 

Heard a startled sea-gull screech. 
But never turned her head to look 



338 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION. VOCAL AND PHYt-lCAL. 

Towards the darkening l)each: 
Neighbors here and neighbors there 

Heard one scream, as if a bird 
Shrilly screaming cleft the air: — 

That was all thev heard. 



Jessie she comes home no more, 

Comes home never; 
Her lover's step sounds at his door 

No more forever. 
And boats may search upon the sea 

And search along the river, 
But none know where the bodies l)e: 

Sea-winds that shiver, 
Sea-birds that breast the blast, 

Sea- waves swelling. 
Keep the secret first and last 

Of their dwelling. 



Whether the tide so hemmed them round 

With its pitiless flow, 
That when they would have gone they found 

No way to go; 
Whether she scorned him to the last 

With words flung to and fro. 
Or clung to him when hope was past, 

None will ever know: 
Whether he helped or hindered her. 

Threw up his life or lost it well, 
The troubled sea, for all its stir. 

Finds no voice to tell. 



SELECTIONS. 339 

Only watchers by the dying 

Have thought the}'^ heard one pray 
Wordless, urgent; and reptying, 

One seem to say him nay: 
And watchers by the dead have heard 

A wind}^ swell from miles away. 
With sobs and screams, but not a word 

Distinct for tliem to say: 
And watchers out at sea have caught 

Glimpse of a pale gleam here or there, 
Come and gone as quick as thought. 

Which might be hand or hair. 

Christina G. Bossetti. 



Woman's Rights. 

I pitcht my tent in a small town in Injianny one day 
last seeson.& wliile I was standin at the dore takin mon- 
ey, a deppytashun of ladies came up & sed they wos 
members of the Bunkum ville Female Moral Eeformin 
& Wimin's Rite's Associashun, and thay axed me if thay 
cood go in without payin. ''Not exactl3^" sez I, ''but 
you can pay without goin in." ''Dew you know who 
we air?" said one of the wimin — a tall and feroshus 
lookin critter, with a blew kotton umbreller under her 
arm — "do you know who we air. 8ur?" 

*'My impreshun is," sed I, "from a kersery view, that 
you air females." 

''We air, Sur," said the feroshus woman — "we belong- 
to a Sosiety whitch beleeves wimin has rites — whitch 
beleeves in razin her to her proper speer — whitch be- 



340 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

leeves she is indowed with as much intelleck as man is 
— whitch beleeves she is trampled on and aboozed — & 
who will resist hense4th & forever the encroachments 
of proud & domineering men." 

Durin her discourse, the exsentric female grabed me 
by the coat koUor & was swinging her umbreller wildly 
over my hed. 

"I hope, marra," sez I, starting back, "that your in- 
tensions is honorable? I'm a ione man hear in a strange 
place. Besides, I've a wife to hum." 

"Yes," said the female, "& she's a slave! Doth she 
never dream of freedom — doth she never think of 
throwin off the yoke of tyrrinny & thinkin & votin for 
herself? — Doth she never think of these here things?" 

"Not bein a natral born fool," sed I, by this time a 
little riled, "I kin safely say she dothunt." 

"O whot — whot!" screamed the female, swingin her 
umbreller in the air. "O, what is the price that wom- 
an pays for her experiunce!" 

"I don't know," sez 1; "the price to my show is 15 
cents pur individooal." 

"& can't our Sosiety go in free?" asked the female. 

"Not if I know it," sed I. 

"Crooil, Crooil man!" she cried, & bust into teers. 

"Won't you let my darter in?" sed anuther of the 
exsentric wimin, taken me afeckshunitely by the hand. 
"O, please let my darter in, — shee's a sweet gnshin 
child of natur." 

''Let her gush!" roared I, as mad as I cood stick at 
their tarnal nonsense; "let her gush!" Where upon 
they all sprung back with the simultanious observashun 
that [ was a Beest. 

"My female friends," sed I, "be4 you leeve, I've a 



SELECTIONS. 341 

few remarks to remark; wa them well. The female 
woman is one of the greatest institooshuns of which this 
land can boste. It's onpossible to get along without her. 
Had there bin no female wimin in the world, I should 
scarcely be here with my unparaleld show on this very 
occashun. She is good in sickness — good in wellness — 
good all the time. O, woman, woman!" I cried, my 
feelins worked up to a hi poetick pitch, "you air a 
angle when you behave yourself; but when you take off 
your proper appaired & (mettyforically speaken) — get 
into pantyloous — when you desert your firesides, and 
with your beds full of wimin 's rites noshuns go round 
like roarin lyons, seeking whom you may devour some- 
boddy — in short, when you undertake to play the man, 
you play the mischief and air an emfatic noosance. My 
female friends," I cotinnered, as they were idignantly 
departin, "wa well what A. Ward has sed!" — Artemus 
Ward, 



The Priest's Ride. 



O'er Kansas plains, at the close of day, 

Came a call to help the dying, 
From a Texas ranch in the wilds away. 
Where a fev'rish woman sought aid to pray, 

And her son in the gloom was sighing. 
Ah! her grief as a pall o'er her spirit spread, 

For the hope of aid had faded; 
"Oh, mj' Lord! my God! speed Thy priest," she 

said: 
"Cast Thy guiding light 'round his holy head. 
Send Thy soldier forth ere I meet the dead " 

Forth the call, and the priest obey'd it. " 



i 



842 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL- 

O'er Kansas plains at the dawn of day, 

Tow'rds Southern boundaries bounding, 
Like a monster flinging the smoky spray 
. O'er the trembling train on the iron way, 

And its scream through the wood resounding, 
Comes the panting, fiery iron steed, 

With an eager traveler gazing. 
Oh! the prairie priest, in this hour of need. 
Looks to heav'n alone for the needed speed, 
And angelic bands for the dying plead — 

See the sparks from the engine blazing! 
Not far from Cimmarron' tide 

Stands the iron charger foaming, 
For the journey ends on the Kansas side, 
And the Southern lands are both bleak and wide, 

And they fade in the autumn's gloaming. 
Quick the priest of the Lord leaves the Kansas 
soil, 

For his task is far from finished; 
For one hundred and sixty-one miles of toil, 
O'er the plains and the bluffs where torrents boil, 
Through the woods and wilds where serpents coil, 

Lies his course, with hope diminish'd! 

A hardy ranchman is near the train 
When the Prairie Priest advances; 

He has rode o'er miles of the rolling plain 
And he eagerly turns and glances, 

' 'Oh ! my Soggarth aroon ! Take my reins in hand, 
For the widow's voice is calling. 

And this steed of mine, with its motion grand, 

On the rugoed hills and the rolling sand, 



SELECTIONS. ol, 

In its pride shall sweep o'er the lonely land 

While the shades of night are falling." 
Away, away, like a flash of light, 

Eides the priest to aid the dying — 
'Midst the gath'ring shades of the autumn 

night. 
With a flickering ray to illume his sight, 

While the winds in the woods are sighing. 
By the lands where the Indian spreads his tent, 

Where the bandit prowls at even — 
Ah, how weary, weary the night is spent, 
And how sorely, sorely the heart is rent, 
Bat still onward^ onward the priest is bent. 

While in hope he looks to heaven. 

From far-ofl' homes, ere the dawn of day, 

Lights beam on the lands before him, 
And they mark the miles of the distant way 
From the Kansas line to the first relay. 

And the hours that have glided o'er him. 
With a start and a bound the charger springs. 

Sees Canadian's distant valley, 
Where the stream with a leap its water flings. 
Where the creek in its pride through the .syca- 
more sings. 
Where the ranch from afar its welcome rings, 

Where the sturdy ranchers rally . 

Bring forth, bring forth, at this dawn of day, 

From amongst the steeds you cherish. 
From the strongest, swiftest of your relay, 
One to bear the father for miles away. 
That a dying soul may not perish. 



i 



844: ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

He is off! he is off by the "No Man's Land," 
And its mounds that tell of danger; 

Oh, my Lord! my God! guide Thy servant's hand; 

Save Thy soldier's path on his mission grand; 

Let the wearied priest, in gladness stand 
By the couch of the dying stranger. 

At last, oh, at last, by the rushing rill, 
'Midst the meadows the ranch is peering; 

And the dying woman is living still, 

For her heart is held by her holy will. 
And she knows that the priest is nearing. 

Soon he bends at the side of the widow's bed, 
Soon the widow's soul is shriven. ' 

"Oh, my Lord, my God, bless the priest," she 
said, 

"For I've seen the light of his holy head — " 

Tiiei) she went with courage to meet the dead, 



For twenty-tAvo hours he has ridden on, 

Without rest, or food, or w^ater; 
And three hundred miles o'er the plains has gone; 

Which the setting sun still smiles upon, 

In search of a dying daughter. 
Oh, Prairie Priest, we shall hear your name 

From the Texas plains up-swelling, 
And the winds and waves, with wild acclaim, 
Shall be rolling back o'er the ways you came 
Tales that might gain you a warrior's fame 

'Midst the halls of a regal dwelling! 

Bev. T. A. Butler. 



SELECTIONS. 345 

The Rise of the Tide. 



A Fisherman gray, one night of yore, 
His nets upgathered, plied the oar, 
Eight merrily heading for a haven, 
While summer winds blew blithe before. 

He sat beneath his pennon white; 
His arms were brown, his eye was bright; 
Twice twenty years his breast had carried 
A ribbon from Lepanto's fight. 

A cove he spied at sunset's edge, 
With pleasant trees and margin-sedge; 
And barefoot went by stakes down-driven 
Thro' shallows wading from the ledge, 

The boat drawn after; but behold! 
A check fell on his venture bold; 
He stood imprisoned, vaiiily leading 
Tiie ropes in whitening fingers old. 

Within the black and marshy sound 
His weight had sunken; he was bound 
Knee-deep! and as he beat and struggled 
The mocking ripples danced around. 

Long since the wood-thrush ceased her song 
The summer wind grew fierce and strong; 
The shuddering noon went into hiding; 
Down came the storm to wa^eak him wrong. 

Asrainst the prow he leaned his chin, 
Tainkino^ of all his strenoth had been: 



346 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Then turned, and lauo^hed with courage steady: 
'O ho! what straights we twain are in!' 

And strove anew, unterrified, 
But histly, wearied wholly, cried 
For succor, since his laden wherry 
Rocked ever on the coming tide. 



'I hear a cry of anguis^h sore!' 
But straight his love had barred the door: 
'Bide here; the night bodes naught but danger.' 
Loud beat the waves along the shore. 

A bedded child made soft behest: 
'So loud the voice I cannot rest.' 
'It is the rain, dear, in the garden. 
The cruel water binds his breast. 

'A lamp, a lamp! some traveller's lost.' 
But thro' the tavern roared the host: 
'Nay, only thunder rude and heavy.' 
Close to the lips the foam is tossed. 

'O listen we.l, my liege and king! 
Hark from gay halls this grievous thing!' 
'Strange how the wild wind drowns our music!' 
Ai)()ut his head the eddies swing. 

At stroke of three the abbot meek 
Moved out among his flock to speak 
This word, with tears of doubt and wonder: 
'1 had a dream; come forth and seek.' 



SELECTIONS. 347 

With tori^h and tiaor.STon. forth they sped: 
Tlie dsher aliired from the harl)or-hedI 
Tiie tide, from his white hair down-fallen, 
All kindly ebl)ed, now he was dead. 

Lepanto's sttir shone fast and orood; 
The sea-kelp wra])ped him like a hood; 
His arnjs were stretciied in woe to heaven; 
The boat had drifted: so he stood. 

Tiie Unavenged he seemed to be I 
Then fell each monk upon his knee: 
'Lord ChristI' tlie abl)ot sangr, awe-stricken: 
*Kest my old rival's soul!' sanor he. 

Louise Imogen Guiney. 



The Road to School. 



A meadow greenly carpeted; 

A strip of woodland, brown and cool, 
Through which the wandering pathway led 

Unto the village school: 

The little pathway he and I, 
Across the happy summer-land, 

In happy summer-times gone by, 
Trod, daily, hand in hand. 

The mountain stream, far oH', that drew 
Its glitterinor length across the farm, 



MB ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

Reached hoftly down the vale, and threw 
The path one cool, white arm; 

And careless as the truant tide 
That flashed its crystal in the sun, 

Or slipped alono^ the woodland side, 
Our wayward feet would run. 

Through tangled ferns, up fuizy slopes, 
Where the broad forest shadows fell, 

Throuoh golden seas of buttercups, 
Wind-rippled down the dell; 

We plashed the foamy water-brink, 
We followed on the rabbit's track, 

And rang the merry bobolink 
His saucy challenge back. 

How tenderly, from stone to stone. 

Where the deep stream ran swift and clear 

He led my timid footsteps on — 
My gay young cavalier! 

He knew each haunt of bird and bee; 

The secret of each nestling brood; 
He mimicked every melody 

That thrilled the listening wood; 

With many a carved and quaint design. 
Would fashion acorns into beads. 

Chains of the needles of tte pine, 
And whistles out of reeds. 



SELECTIONS. 349 

Ah! many a time the brave voice spake, 

An earnest pleader in my cause. 
The tanned, round hand went out to take 

Dire strokes for broken laws; 

And many a prompting, timely said, 
rhe master's dreaded anger turned 

From the small, idle, flaxen head 
Whose tasks were yet unlearned. 

What quaint, sweet summer gifts he brought! 

A white pond-lily, filled to th' brim 
With scarlet berries; buds, half shut; 

Gold fruits on leaf and limb; 

Some wide-blown flower with tawny dyes; 

A butterfly with jeweled wing. 
Or captive bird, with frighted eyes 

And wee heart, fluttering. 

Dear playmate! in those golden wa3^s 

Your heart found rest, my heart endures^ 

But, through the weary days and days, 
Life gives no love like yours. 

Life gives no faith ! Ah, child-mate dear, 
When the appointed years shall fall 

From off me, as a cloud, and near 
And clear I hear the call — 

And the new way is strange to me. 

Reach thou, and lead me, hand in hand, 



350 ELEMENTS OF EX I'KKSSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

As down the p.-tdi oi old, till we 
Before the MMstci; stand: 

There yet once iii(U<' thy brave voice raise, 
O playniatel in lliy truant's cause; 

For tasks unle;ii-iMMl, for wasted days, 
For all His iMokca laws. 

Ina Coolbrith. 



William Shakespeare. 

Tradition says that Sli.-ikespeare Avns ever gentle to 
those of the perseculcd F.-.ith of his fathers: and his 

plays show it Hi> >|)(^ech is ''saturated with the 

Scriptures." How could iie help it? Had he not in the 
schoolroom gazed ev< ly day on the painted story of the 
Cross, and read everywhere, in spite of Henry VIH's 
htirbarity, the symbolism of the church which had filled 
the life of England Ix'fore the Reformation with the 
beauty of God's word . Though the statues of the saints 
were broken, and then- tlLiares in the stained glass win- 
dows defaced, the cluirch of the Holy Trinity, still 
pointed with its spire towards heaven. Even in Shake- 
speare's hiter time, all r<Mneinbrance of the Sacramental 
Presence could not ha xc faded out of Stratford. We 
can imagine Shakespeare walking in the gk)aming tOr 
Avards this old church, with its Gothic windows and 
fretted l)attlements. Tiie g ow-worms waver near him 
as he comes through the avenue of green lime trees, 
near the ))eech-and yew -shaded graveyard. He has 
come by the shining Anoh. from ''the k)nesome mead- 
ows beyond where the i>riniroses stand in their goklen 



SELEcrioxs. 351 

banks amono- the clover. aiKi i li»^ trilled and tinted bell 
(^f ihe cowslip, liidino-its sino-lc drop of blood, closes its 
petals as the night comes dowti." He pauses in tlie 
nave of the churcli and there in the soft g-low. cast by 
the last shaft of elory frora tin' netting sun. he sees that 
vacant phice where, his father lias told Idm, the taber- 
nacle had been. It is o-one. rt-rchance an old woman, 
wlio had seen the Faith in its ^-lory, lies prostrate, sob- 
bing before the despoiled altai* whence her God has ijeen 
torn. And tbeu he miirmni-s. with his own dying 
Queen Katharine: 

"Spirits of peace, where are you? Are you all grone 
And leave me here in wretcliediiess behind ye'r"' 

— And, folding his hands at hi> back, he passes back 
through the sweet-scented hme. whose blossoms shall 
fall on his own coffin ere long. His eyes are soft and 
hazel; his cheeks are not as ruddy as Avhen he laid the 
cloth for his father and mother h\ earlier da3^s; his fore- 
head is dome-like; he wears his eu>tomary suit of scar- 
let and black. So he goes to Xrw Place, for which he 
has so long worked, to the dcimu'e Judith who waits 
for him, to his little chubby rheeked grandchild, Bess 
Hall. The antlers in the entiy, the silver tankards on 
the sideboard, of which hi- wife and Jitdith are so 
})roud, show dindy in the failing night; he murmurs 
the new song he has lately made for his play of '*Cym- 
beiiue. " 

Fear no more the lie;it o' the sun, 
]^or the furious will ui's rages: 
Thou thy worldly lask luts done. 
Home art gone and ra'en thy wages." 

A swan glides slowly to hej- not among the reeds of 



352 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

the Avon. "The crimson drops i' the bottom of the 
cowslip," are now quite hid from the si^ht of the swtd- 
low that westward flies across the meadows. William 
Sluikespeare, whom God gifted so gloriously, passes 
with the sadness of the gloaming in his soul. 

"And the rest is silence " 

Maurice F. Eg an. 



INDEX. 



355 



Action 








' 10 


Action, Cicero on 








10 


Action, Quintilian on . 








. 10 


Action, St. Francis of Sales on 








. 11 


Anticlimax .... 








. 191 


Articulation . . . . 








28 


Articulation, Barber on 








- 28 


Articulation, Exercises in 








31 


Ascending Gesture 








. 142 


Attitude, Deiiiiition of 








13 


Attitude, First . 








15 


Attitude, Second 








. 17 


Attitude, Third' , . . 








20 


Attitude, Fourth 








21 


Breathing .... 








1 


Breathing, Exercises in 








3 


Breathing, Kotier on 








2 


Breathing, Correct Mode of 








2 


Clasped Hand 








152 


Climax 








191 


Clinched Hand 








152 


Consonants .... 








30 


Delsarte's Laws . 








85 


Descending Gesture . 








112 



356 



INDEX. 



Elementary Sounds, Table of 

Emotions, Cultivation of 

Emphasis 

Emphasis, Modes of 

Emphasis, Rnles for 

Excited Position . 

Eyes .... 

Eyes, Nine Attitudes of 

Eyes in Reading . 

Force, as a Mode of Emphasis 

Force, Definition of 

Force Degrees of 

Force, Energetic . 

Force, Impassioned 

Force, Moderate . 

Force, Subdued . 

Force, Forms of . 

Force, Effussive . 

Force, Explosive 

Force, Expulsive 

Force, Judicious Use of 

Force, Dr. Rush on 

Gesture, Definition of 

Gestures of Different Member 

Gesture, Deisarte's Laws of 

Gesture, Planes of 

Hand, Quintilian on 

Head 

Head, Attitudes of 

Horizontal Gesture 

Ictus 

Index Hand . 



29 
61 
172 
180 
175 
16 
198 
198 
198 
181 

e^Q 

73 
76 
78 
75 
78 
67 
67 
71 
69 
80 

61 
195 

85 
Ml 
195 
195 
196 
142 
113 
150 



INDEX. 



357 



Empl 



iDliexion 

iDliexioii, Circumtiex 

Intlexioi]. Falliijo- 

Inflexion, Rising . 

Inflexion, as a Mode of 

Lateral Gesture . 

Law of Altitude . 

Law of Duration 

Law of Force 

Law of Opposition 

Law of Succession 

Law of Velocity . 

Members, Gesture of diflerei 

Militaiy Position . 

Mouth . . 

Notation of Gesture 

Pause 

Pause, Caesura 1 

Pause, Final 

Pause. Influence of 

Pause, Kules for 

Personation 

Pitch . 

Pitch. High 

Pitch, Low 

Pitch, Midd e 

Planes of Gesture 

Poetic Heading 

Position 

Positioji. Unexeited 

Position, Exrited 

Position, Mditarv 



lasi! 



358 



INDEY. 



Position of Fingers 

Prone Hand 

Quality 

Quality, Aspirate 

Quality, Falsetto 

Quality, Guttural 

Quality, Nasal 

Quality, Orotund 

Quality, Pectoral 

Quality, Pure 

Kelaxation 

Relaxation, Exercises for Arms 

Relaxation, Exercises for Hand and A\ 

Relaxation, Exercises for Legs 

Relaxation, Exercises for Neck 

Relaxation, Exercises for Torso 

Rhythm .... 

Supine Hand 

Time as a Mode of Emphasis 

Tone Color 

Tone Color, Examples of 

Unemphatic Words 

Vertical Hand, The 



ist 



143 

146 

112 

136 

133 

128 

135 

121 

131 

115 

62 

64 

65 

63 

64 

64 

217 

143 

180 

238 

239 

190 

149 



359 



INDEX TO SELECTIONS. 



^'Egeon's Speech . Shakespeare . . 292 

Antonio's Consolers. Shakespeare . . 301 

Army of the Lord, The. Adelaide A. Procter . 297 
At the Seashore. Father Faber . . 261 

Bards Story, The. Maurice F. Egan . . 271: 

Called and Chosen. Eleanor C. Donnelly . 322 

Cassius Inciting Brutus to Conspiracy. Shake- 
speare ...... 264 

Catholicism and the Religions of the World 

Newman . 286 

Condition of Ireland, The. T.F.Meagher . *323 
Day's Changes, A. Rev. J. Bahiies .• . 307 

Decoration Day Oration. Bourke Cochran . 269 
Drunkard's Death, The. Rev. Alfred Young, 

C. S.P. . . . . .312 

Falstaff's Lantern and Troops. Shakespeare . 277 
Four Idiot Brothers, The. J. C. Mangan . 295 
Grheber's Glen, The, Moore . .263 

Gualberto's Victory. Eleanor C. Donnelly . 325 

Hamlet's Plan to Catch the King. Shakespeare 272 
Hamlet Upbraids the Queen . Shakespeare . 252 
Homeless. Adelaide A. Procter . . 256 

Hotspur's Death . Shakespeare . . 257 



'^<><) INDEX TO SELECTIONS. 

Jessie Cameron. Christina G. Rossetti . 335 

Last of the Narvvhale, The. John Boyle O'Reilly 280 

Niofht in June, A. Maurice F. Egan . . 250 

Peter Rugg the Bostonian. Louise I. Guiney . 328 

Priest's Ride, The. Rev. T. A. Butler . 341 

Rise of the Tide, The. Louise I. Guiney . 345 

Road to School, The. Ina Coolbrith . . 347 

Scene from ^^King Henry VL," Third Part 

Shakespeare . 317 

Scene from ''The Merchant of Venice." Shake- 

peare . . . . . . 315 

Selection from '"The Dream of Gerontius. " 

Newman 305 

Twenty Golden Years Ago. J. C. Mangan 319 

William Shakespeare. Maurice F. Egan . 350 

Wolsey's Advice to Cromwell. Shakespeare . 288 

Woman's Riofhts. Artemus Ward . . 339 



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